santuario, diocesano, Santuario Santa Maria dell'Isola

On a sandstone rock just off the Lido di Tropea, the Chiesa Santa Maria dell’Isola has stood since at least the eleventh century, when it became a possession of the great Abbey of Montecassino. Churches of the Norman period in southern Italy often combined local building traditions with the austere lines of the new monastic orders; this one, presumably, did the same, though its medieval fabric has been much restored. After a nine-year restoration, it reopened for worship in August 2014. The diocesan sanctuary’s main feast falls on 14 and 15 August, preceded by a novena. On the afternoon of the 15th, a striking maritime procession carries statues of the Holy Family, Madonna, Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, down 91 steps to the beach, then by fishing boat along the Coast of the Gods to Capo Cozzo and back. The sanctuary also has a botanical garden and panoramic belvedere.

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