santuario, mariano, Santa Maria della Stella

At the top of a theatrical staircase in Militello in Val di Catania stands the Santuario di Santa Maria della Stella, the town’s principal patronal church. Its harmonious Baroque façade is richly carved, flanked by a robust campanile. The title ‘della Stella’ is a puzzle. It may derive from an early icon of the Virgin, depicted in Byzantine style with three stars symbolising her perpetual virginity. Or it could hint at a link to the Knights Templar, who, following the spiritual texts of St Bernard of Clairvaux, associated Mary with the star. A precious example of the late-Baroque art of the Val di Noto, the sanctuary was declared a national monument before being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2002. In 2018, it was spiritually twinned with the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, receiving the privilege of granting the same indulgences as that principal Marian church.

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