Legend of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria La Strada in Giarre
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It is said that, in the place where the Sanctuary stands today, the Norman Count Roger I of Sicily and his brother Robert Guiscard, during their return journey to Calabria, were ambushed by the Saracens. The Count invoked the help of the Madonna and the Christian knights fighting against the Saracens, finding refuge and refreshment in a well, known today as Roger I's Well, managed to defeat and put the Arabs to flight. So it was that Count Ruggero, as a sign of thanks, had a sanctuary built next to the well dedicated to the Virgin Odigitria, the one who shows the way, known today as the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Strada.
Other versions of the legend state that in 1060 some of Roger I's troops were tormented by thirst. It was then that the Madonna appeared to the soldiers indicating a place to dig in order to quench their thirst. The Normans cried out that it was a miracle, and the sanctuary was then built in front of the well as a sign of thanks. A further version of the legend says that the well was built together with the Sanctuary as a sign of thanks to the Madonna for having put the Arabs to flight.
There are no historical documents that can confirm what is narrated in the legend. It is probable that this legend was born connected to the intense activity of reconversion to Christianity which took place in the first Norman period in Sicily, in the 11th century.
