Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Madonna in Capo d'Orlando
The Sanctuary of Maria Santissima di Capo d'Orlando, also known as the Sanctuary of the Madonna, stands on top of the promontory which is the symbol of the town, in the middle of the monumental complex of the Castle.
The Sanctuary of Maria Santissima was built in the early seventeenth century, at the behest of Count Girolamo Ioppolo, and with the consent of the population, who actively participated in the project. The reasons that led to the construction of the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima were many, primarily attributable to the cult of the Madonna of Capo d’Orlando, which at that time was spreading more and more.
Its foundation is linked to the miraculous events of 1598 when San Cono Navacita, patron saint of Naso, in one of his apparitions, left the small simulacrum of the Madonna to the Raffa brothers, guardians of the Castle. The simulacrum was taken to Naso, on which Capo d’Orlando depended at that time, but violent even if harmless earthquakes and other natural events led to the belief that the Madonna should return to where it was found. A subsequent appearance of the friar served to draw the perimeter of the Church on top of the promontory that was to house the simulacrum.
On the night of 11 December 1925, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was stolen. A silver statuette was thus made, which is still exhibited in the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary of Maria Santissima is embellished by a scenic natural environment that surrounds it. You can access the sanctuary along an elegant path consisting of a long staircase.
The interior, with a single nave, has several chapels, the largest of which is dedicated to the Madonna of Capo d'Orlando, in which there is also her current Simulacrum, the silver statuette, replaced following the theft of the legendary sculpture of the late sixteenth century. Very interesting from an artistic point of view is the inlaid wooden ceiling in the shape of an eight-pointed star.
Inside the Sanctuary there are still two paintings by Gaspare Camarda from the School of Antonello da Messina, "the Adoration of the Shepherds" from 1626 and "the Crucifix between two praying monks" from 1627.
