Sanctuary of Mary Most Holy of Manipuglia

Those who wish to connect with history and culture can visit the Sanctuary of Manipuglia.

Nestled in the greenery of the Crucoli forest, it is just two kilometers from Torretta. It is recommended to reach it on foot because the walk, besides being good for your health, allows you to admire the natural beauty of the area.

The Church of Manipuglia, now a diocesan Marian sanctuary, has very ancient origins. Its foundation probably dates back to the 1300s. Built in a forest, far from the town center, it was once rich in land.

In ancient times, not far from Crucoli, there was a very dense forest where an image of the Virgin Mary was found. The origin of its miracles is told as follows:

"A young girl landed on a beach along the Ionian Sea, coming from Valleverde dressed as a pilgrim. For unknown reasons or some conspiracy, she found herself in great distress... Upon setting foot on land, she asked a local resident for the right way back to Crucoli, and was told it was not far but required crossing the Manipuglia forest. She headed toward that wood but, unfamiliar with those tangled paths, got lost. The poor girl wandered through the thickets all day without finding a way out of the labyrinth, so when the sun set, the approaching night forced her to stop to avoid danger in the double darkness of the forest and night. By chance, she found herself where the image of Mary was located; she lay down beneath it and slept until dawn. The next day she realized a wonderful miracle had occurred: she was healed; indeed, her staff had turned into a green olive branch. She soon arrived in Crucoli and made the grace she had received public. Then the inhabitants built a comfortable church out of devotion."

The people of Crucoli claim that their ancestors’ prayers to the Madonna were always answered, no matter the situation. By 1890 the church was in poor condition, and only in 1943 did the parish priest Don Mario Ferraro begin a series of renovations, after which the church gradually became more beautiful.

In the 1960-61 period, a villa with flowerbeds, paths, clearings, and facilities for pilgrims was built. The large stained glass window above the altar, depicting the 15 mysteries of the Rosary, was designed by the Triestine painter Prof. Luciano Bartoli and was created and kiln-fired in Milan in 1962. It is a true work of art. The depicted mysteries invite the recitation of the Rosary. All the mysteries are expressed in symbols: green dominates the Joyful Mysteries, purple-red the Sorrowful Mysteries, and gold-yellow the Glorious Mysteries. The window covers about 16 square meters, and at its center is the painting of the Madonna of Manipuglia.

On May 12, 1963, His Excellency Monsignor Orazio Semeraro, Bishop of Cariati, elevated the Church of the Madonna of Manipuglia to the dignity of a Diocesan Marian Sanctuary with these words:

"...there is no doubt that the title of Sanctuary can rightly be granted to that beautiful church which our ancestors built in the countryside of Crucoli, in that most charming place called Manipuglia, and which they dedicated with great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Madonna of Manipuglia..."

To the right of the current altar, inside a small dome, it is possible to admire a fine Byzantine-style fresco, a remnant of a previous structure. Its presence suggests that the current church was built on the ruins of an ancient Basilian abbey that existed around the year 1000.

Photo credit: Francesco Gangale