santuario, «ab immemorabili», Maria SS.ma di Custonaci

On a hillside above Custonaci, this sanctuary to the Madonna was already receiving bequests by the early 1400s, long before the present building rose from the 1570s. A typical Renaissance-era church in Sicily, it blends local stone with the sober lines of the period, but the real drama is in its living traditions. Each August, a painted panel of the Virgin is re-enacted in its arrival: a cart pulled by oxen sets out from the site of the original discovery, retracing the journey to the sanctuary. The faithful prepare by building small domestic altars in their homes, and the week culminates in a procession through the streets of Custonaci. The sanctuary was granted the right to crown its image in the mid-18th century, and today it remains a working pilgrimage site, with a museum, meeting hall, and parking for visitors. Its story is written less in architecture than in the annual rhythm of procession and prayer.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.