Sanctuary of Maria SS.ma della Cava in Marsala
The Sanctuary of Maria SS.ma della Cava in Marsala is a place of worship that houses the precious simulacrum of the Madonna found inside a well in the early 16th century, probably hidden to protect it from iconoclastic persecution.
The discovery of the simulacrum of the Madonna is linked to a legend.
Four churches have succeeded one another over the years in this area. The current area is made up of the cave with the ancient underground church, the first church, with the annexed ancient Augustinian monastery still inside the cave, and the new little church built between 1999 and 2000. There are also the remains of the second monastery of the Augustinians the one in masonry and on the surface built between 1607 and 1628, and the bell from 1628.
The underground church has a Greek cross plan and is accessed by going down a staircase of 24 steps . The walls of the monastery have decorations in the rock. In the center is the neck of the well in which the statue was found. At the back is the apse with the main altar where the statue of the Madonna della Cava is located, dating back to the 16th century, in colored marble.
