santuario, Santuario Madonna della Cava o della Sanità

In the hamlet of Cava, a frazione of Luzzi, stands the Santuario Madonna della Cava o della Sanità. Its origins are uncertain, but the church likely began as a votive shrine in the sixteenth century, with a date of 1674 recorded on the original edicola. A proper church was built later, though the precise moment of its founding remains obscure.

Local tradition tells of a miraculous appearance: the Madonna is said to have appeared to a sick shepherdess named Lucrezia Scalzo, rescuing her from a fall into a ravine and curing her illness. This story, passed down through generations, gives the sanctuary its particular character, a place of folk devotion rather than grand ecclesiastical history.

The principal feast falls on the second Sunday of September, when the statue of the Madonna della Cava is carried through the streets of Luzzi in procession. The church's architecture, Renaissance in style, is typical of the region: simple, sturdy, and built to serve a rural community, its interior likely housing the venerated image that draws the faithful each year.

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