Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana is a pleasant place, where the Christian cult of veneration for the Madonna is celebrated.

Petralia Sottana is located in the Metropolitan City of Palermo and is a small municipality of approximately 2.500 inhabitants. The Sanctuary is an isolated and quiet place, located on the top of the Monte Alto and its origins date back to Two hundred.

The oldest documents that mention the Sanctuary date back to 1454, but there are no certain sources to precisely date the year of construction of the building. However, it is thought that the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana was built in the XNUMXth century by Guglielmo Gnoffi, religious and now Blessed, probably on the ruins of a small church already existing on site.

Today the Sanctuary is the destination of numerous pilgrimages by the faithful, who come to the mountain especially in summer: the Our Lady is celebrated on August 14th with a night torchlight procession, to then continue the following day with the Procession of the simulacrum of the Virgin around the Sanctuary, an honor reserved for the inhabitants of Petralia Sottana.

The inhabitants of the town, devoted and grateful to the patron saint, thank her every year for her intercession, which on several occasions has saved the town from many natural disasters.

What strengthened the link between the local population and the cult of the Madonna was a legendary episode linked to the discovery of the simulacrum of the Virgin, near Campofelice di Roccella, about 60 km from Petralia: found after a storm, the simulacrum was loaded onto a cart pulled by animals, to be transferred to Termini Imerese, but the oxen that pulled the cart continued up to Petralia Sottana, carrying the statue to the top to the mountain, where the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto was later built.

The architecture of the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana and the works it houses

From the outside, the Sanctuary looks like a large two-storey stone building, with a sloping red tile roof; the colors of the building therefore harmoniously reflect the tones of the earth and it stands out, solitary and imposing, on the top of the mountain, over 1800 meters above sea level.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana is built in Gothic style and has some Baroque elements, made subsequently.

Entering the Sanctuary, you can admire the Statue of the Madonna dell'Alto, built in the fifteenth century and positioned on theEighteenth-century altar, decorated in marble. Colored marble which can also be admired as a decoration of the chapel arch, near the wrought iron gate. Canvases, statues, ex-votos in gold and silver, constitute the other treasures of the Sanctuary, together with paintings, jewels and crowns donated by the inhabitants of Petralia to the Madonna.

What to do in the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana and the surrounding area

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana can be reached via an off-road route, going up Monte Alto, about 11 km from the town. A pilgrimage destination, every year the Sanctuary also sees many faithful reach the church on foot.

Those who wish, then, can join the local faithful who, in the month of August, go to the Sanctuary to honor the Virgin, or visit the Sanctuary at any other time of the year, perhaps retiring for a few hours of meditation, after admired the beauties it holds.

To visit the Sanctuary, you can book a stay in Petralia Sottana, a small town, but rich in history and therefore in monumental traces of its passage. In the town, you can visit very ancient sacred buildings such as the Basilica of Maria Santissima Assunta (Mother Church of Petralia built in the XNUMXth century) or the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi, where you can admire frescoes and paintings by great local artists.

To find out more about this area, you can visit Antonio Collisani Civic Museum, where there are various collections of rocks and fossils, with interactive rooms where even children can have fun and learn.

Among the other buildings of notable interest in Petralia, there are the Lily Palace, built in the 76th century and now the Town Hall and, just outside the town, you can also visit the old hydroelectric plant, active until XNUMX and perfectly preserved today.

Those who visit Petralia Sottana and the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto can also easily reach the Madonie Park, just 16 km from the town.

How to get to the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Alto in Petralia Sottana

Petralia Sottana is located in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, and is easily reachable by car or train.

By car, you reach Petralia via the A19 Palermo-Catania, from the exit for Irosa, 10 km from the town or from the exit for Castelbuono Pollina (22 km) for those coming from the A20. By train, travelers can get off at Cefalù station, and continue by bus for a journey of approximately 25 km.

Once in the village, to get to the Sanctuary you need to use an off-road vehicle to climb the mountain, or continue on foot along the pilgrimage routes.