Legend of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Luce
S.cirrincione - CC1.0
According to a legend, the origins of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Luce in Roccapalumba are linked to the discovery by a shepherd of an image of the Virgin and Child.
It is said that a shepherd found the sacred image in a crack in the fortress overlooking the village of Roccapalumba. The man took the painting and took it into his house, hiding it under the mattress. The following morning the painting had disappeared and miraculously reappeared in the place where it was found. This event was repeated twice more. The shepherd told his fellow villagers what had happened and everyone interpreted the event as a desire on the part of the Madonna to remain in that place. Thus it was that first a chapel was built, then the sacristy and the cemetery.
Historical facts however attribute the choice of the place where the ancient Church of the Madonna della Luce stood to the desire to block an unsafe passage for wayfarers who they crossed the territory.
