santuario, Madonna del Soccorso

The Santuario della Madonna del Soccorso, a church of Norman lineage, stands within the parish of San Giovanni Battista in San Mauro Marchesato. Its origins are not a matter of record but of two competing local legends. One tells of a farmer who discovered an image of the Virgin in a dense wood, prompting the sanctuary’s construction on the very spot. The other speaks of a fleeing soldier, hidden in the same forest, who found a statue of the Madonna and vowed to build a place of prayer in return for his deliverance. The sanctuary’s principal feast falls on the first Sunday of June, preceded by a nine-day novena. On that day, the painted image of the Virgin is carried in procession through the town’s streets, a living link to the mystery and devotion that first raised these walls.

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