Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montallegro, built in the mid-sixteenth century, is a Marian sanctuary that commemorates an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1557. The construction and management work was entrusted to the master Tommasino Lagomaggiore, an initial project with a single nave, with a marble facade much more varied than the present one. The current marble façade is the work of the architect Luigi Rovelli, and was solemnly inaugurated on 21 June 1896.

The church of San Francesco di Paola and the adjoining convent of the Ordine dei Minimi is a religious complex built between 1464 and 1467. In the 17th century, the religious complex received Baroque additions, probably during the restoration work carried out at the time of two disastrous earthquakes (1613 and 1638). After the Val di Noto earthquake in 1693, the restoration work on the church gave it a late Baroque (Sicilian Baroque) style like most of the buildings in the town. The temple was burnt down on 10 May 1908 and damaged by the Messina earthquake on 28 December of the same year.

The Sanctuary of San Vito began to be built around the 14th century, as a small chapel dedicated to St Vitus the Martyr. The temple was enriched with the proceeds of indulgences granted by Pope Innocent VIII in 1485. In 1526, the entire complex benefited from the munificence of Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. Raised to the rank of sacramental church in 1667 by Monsignor Giuseppe Cigala, Bishop of Mazara, for the assistance of pilgrims in danger of death, it was finally erected as a parish in 1854 by Vincenzo Ciccolo Rinaldi, before the new diocese, in the nascent town of San Vito Lo Capo.

The Santuario di Santa Caterina stands on the birthplace of Catherine of Siena (14th century). The sanctuary includes the Hall of the Saints (Camera della santa), the church Chiesa del Crocifisso (consecrated on 23 April 1623), the sacristy, and the oratories: Oratorio di Santa Caterina, Oratorio della Tintoria (built between 1466 and 1474), and Oratorio della Cucina.

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Canneto is a Baroque church that was built in the second half of the 17th century on a pre-existing sacred building dating from 1504. A first church had been built here in the 13th and 14th centuries and was destroyed in 1502 after the French siege. The interior of the present church is divided into three naves. The precious wooden coffered ceiling has a gilded icon of the Virgin Mary in the centre, while a large archway with floral motifs leads to the presbytery.

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Piazza is a Marian sanctuary that was built between 1515 and 1522 on the site of an earlier church dedicated to Our Lady, which had itself replaced a chapel dating from the Christian era. The architect of this Renaissance church was Antonio da Lonate (1456-1541).

The shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus is part of a convent of Discalced Carmelites who settled in the town in 1929. The shrine is dedicated to Therese of Lisieux. The church was built between 1931 and 1933, designed by the Milanese architect Ugo Zanchetta. The church became a parish church in 1964.

Sarno Cathedral dates back to the 17th century. Inaugurated in 1627, it suffered considerable damage during the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 and has since undergone numerous restorations.

Sarsina Cathedral was probably built in the 10th century in the Romanesque style, but its facade remains unfinished. The lunette above the entrance portal shows a modern mosaic depicting Saint Vicinius. Chapels were added to the interior in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Sarzana Cathedral was built in a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles, which reflects the length of its construction, which extends from the beginning of the 13th century to the end of the 15th century. The cathedral is known to house a relic of the apostle Andrew and the blood of Christ. It also houses an important Romanesque crucifix by the master Guglielmo dating back to 1138.