santuario, diocesano, Santuario Diocesano San Francesco da Paola

Perched on the forested slopes of the Sila, this sanctuary began as a modest oratory. Around 1474, the local university, as the town council was then called, invited the wandering Calabrian hermit Francesco da Paola to establish a presence here. They gave him an existing chapel dedicated to Saint Thomas, which, with support from both commoners and nobility, was enlarged and a convent built alongside. During the works, Francesco lodged in a room of the Giudicessa palace.

For centuries, oral tradition insisted that the saint had a secret place for prayer nearby, yet no one could locate it. This was curious, given that similar grottoes were known at his other foundations. Eventually, a cave was rediscovered, confirming the persistent local belief. It is now recognised as the very spot where Francesco came to pray and do penance, a quiet cleft in the rock that embodies the spirit of his eremitical life.

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