Santuario di Santa Rosalia ★★

The crazy cave-church of a miraculous hermit in the hills above in Palermo

St. Rosalia, a niece of William II, lived and died as a religious hermit on Monte Pellegrino, high above Palermo.

In 1624 during a vicious plague brought into the harbor on a Tunisian ship, St. Rosalia appeared in a vision to a man and showed him the cave where her remains lay unburied. Palermitani carried these relics through the town to give them a consecrated burial, whereupon the plague stopped and Rosalia was swiftly granted Patron Saint status.

Her cave was outfitted with pews and a baroque foyer to become the popular pilgrimage chapel Sanctuario di Santa Rosalia, where the holy water flows from plastic cooler jugs and all the merchandise in the gift shop has been pre-blessed for your convenience.

In the cave sanctuary itself, thin spikes of flattened steel cobweb the ceiling like some conceptual modern sculpture—they're to channel the watery mineral drippings from would-be stalactites away from the heads of the devout and collect them as a holy, miraculous liquid.

 

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Tips & links

Details

Santuario di Santa Rosalia ★★
Via Pietro Bonanno (on Monte Pellegrino, north of the city center)
tel. +39-091-540-326
www.santuariosantarosalia.it
Open daily 7:30am–12:30pm, 2–6:30pm (to 7:30pm in summer)
Free adm

Bus: 812

Planning your time

You can only pop into the cave-church itself in between the frequent masses. Mass if always held daily at 5pm, with an extra Sunday morning mass at 11am. It's also a popular spot for weddings, which make for some interesting photos.

Closing during mass

You can only pop into the cave-church itself in between the frequent masses. Mass if always held daily at 5pm, with an extra Sunday morning mass at 11am. It's also a popular spot for weddings, which make for some interesting photos.

Attending mass

Masses at Santuario di Santa Rosalia are held daily. from Oct–August: Mon–Sat at 5pm (6pm in the summer) and Sundays & holidays at 11am and 5pm

Tourist info

Palermo tourist office
Piazza Castelnuovo 34
tel. +39-091-605-8351
www.turismopalermo.it
www.provincia.palermo.it/turismo

Also useful:
www.comune.palermo.it
www.palermotourism.com

Buses: www.amat.pa.it
Trains: www.trenitalia.com
Airport: www.gesap.it
Port: www.portpalermo.it

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Details
Santuario di Santa Rosalia ★★
Via Pietro Bonanno (on Monte Pellegrino, north of the city center)
tel. +39-091-540-326
www.santuariosantarosalia.it
Open daily 7:30am–12:30pm, 2–6:30pm (to 7:30pm in summer)
Free adm

Bus: 812
Tourist Info

Palermo tourist office
Piazza Castelnuovo 34
tel. +39-091-605-8351
www.turismopalermo.it
www.provincia.palermo.it/turismo

Also useful:
www.comune.palermo.it
www.palermotourism.com

Buses: www.amat.pa.it
Trains: www.trenitalia.com
Airport: www.gesap.it
Port: www.portpalermo.it


Palermo lodging
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