santuario, mariano, diocesano, Santuario Madonna della Grazia

This modern sanctuary, founded in 1960, sits in Gallico Superiore, a place of quiet devotion for the valley below. Within its walls is preserved the image of the Virgin and Child venerated across the whole Valle del Gallico, and the tomb of Father Aurelio Cannizzaro, who served as rector here for twenty years. Nearby lies a relic of Saint Guido Maria Conforti, founder of the Xaverian missionaries.

The main feast is held on the first Saturday after 15 August, preceded by six Saturdays of the Madonna della Grazia. On the Saturday before the four-day festivities, the painting of the Madonna is carried in procession from the sanctuary down to Gallico Marina, stopping at the church of San Biagio, and rests for a week at the church of Madonna di Porto Salvo before returning.

The sanctuary also offers meeting rooms and the Parco della Mondialità, a park with a lake created by Father Cannizzaro on what was once a riverbed and public dump. A curious redemption of a place.

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