santuario, diocesano, Santuario Diocesano Madonna del Pollino

High on the northern flank of the Pollino massif, at 1,537 metres, the Santuario Diocesano Madonna del Pollino is a sanctuary built for the heights, and for the seasons. Perched above the hamlet of Mezzana, in the municipality of San Severino Lucano, the complex comprises a sacred church, ancillary rooms, and a Pilgrim’s House. It is a major destination for devotees from both Calabria and Basilicata, who make the steep journey to venerate the statue of the Madonna del Pollino. That statue, however, is only present in summer; during the colder months, it is kept down in the church of San Severino Lucano. The sanctuary received a notable papal mention in 1991, when John Paul II, during his pastoral visit to Basilicata, listed it among the region’s ‘oases of meditation and Marian piety’. The following year, Bishop Rocco Talucci formally elevated the church to a diocesan sanctuary, acknowledging its role as a high-altitude place of pilgrimage and devotion.

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