santuario, mariano, parrocchiale, Madonna della Strada

At the edge of Roggiano Gravina, where the new provincial road threads through the Esaro Valley, stands a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna della Strada. The church itself appears to date from the 1600s, its name recalling the old road that once linked Cosenza with the valley settlements and the slopes of the Apennines. A building once stood beside it, now gone, where weary travellers could rest; a hermit kept watch over the place.

Local tradition tells of a shepherd boy who found a statue of the Virgin in a thicket, and a chapel was built on the spot. The cult object within is a wooden Madonna enthroned with the Child, who blesses with one hand and holds a globe in the other. Raised to a sanctuary in 2013, this is now a place of conversion and renewal, a prayer stop for neighbouring parishes, and the particular protector of motorists.

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