An Altar For Santa Rosalia

Normally on September 4, devotees of Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s patroness, recognize their protectress with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Mount Pellegrino. They pay homage to the maiden who died on this day in 1166, with prayers, solitude, and a trek up the mountain barefoot or on their knees. This year…

September 4 and La Santuzza

Palermo’s patroness, Santa Rosalia, is recognized on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary (pictured) at the top of Mount Pellegrino. The facade you see covers the opening to a large cave, where, in 1624, a sleeping hunter had a vision of the little-known, medieval-era saint. In…

Thanks to a Lost Hunter

During the late spring and summer of 1624, Palermo was under siege from a plague that cursed more than 10,000 inhabitants. Things were looking pretty bleak until in early July, when a lost hunter had a vision (as illustrated by this image, located at the saint’s sanctuary on Mount Pellegrino): Santa Rosalia appeared to him…

Rosalia’s Cave

Palermo’s patron, Santa Rosalia, is recognized on September 4, the day she died in 1166, with a pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Palermo’s Mount Pellegrino. Pictured is the sanctuary’s chapel that is housed inside the cave where a hunter in 1624 had a vision of the little-known, medieval-era saint. In the vision,…