Basilica of Maria Santissima del Mazzaro
Erected around 1100 by Manfredi, count of Policastro, destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt starting in 1760. The temple has three naves, with walls decorated in Sicilian Baroque style based on a project by Bonaiuto from Syracuse. Inside there is a wooden picture depicting the Madonna with Child on her knees and next to it the Sicilian virgins Sant'Agata and Santa Lucia, in Greek-Byzantine style.
Curiosity
The tradition that wants it to be found around 1125 by a shepherd while grazing his flock on the wooded top of the Mazzarino hill is linked to this work. The shepherd the wooden picture in which the Madonna with the child was painted and next to her the two Sicilian saints: S. Agata and S. Lucia. This picture had been buried, following an edict on iconoclasm (destruction of sacred images) issued by Pope Leo Isauric. After the discovery, the people proclaimed the Madonna of the picture Patroness of Mazarin.
Card insertion: Ignatius Caloggero
Photo: Ignazio Caloggero
Information contributions: Ignazio Caloggero, Web
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