Having become one of the symbols of all Calabria and the village of Tropea, the Church of Santa Maria dell’Isola stands on the homonymous rock. Of medieval origin, the origins of the building date back to the 11th century.
On the Sanctuary there is still a legend that tells how the virgin arrived in the village. At the time of the iconoclasm, a statue of the Virgin arrived in Tropea from the East. The people went down to the beach, together with the bishop and the mayor to celebrate the arrival of the wooden statue of the Madonna. The two heads of the town decided, by mutual agreement, to install the statue of the Madonna inside a niche, in a natural cave, present in the rock of the cliff. Unfortunately, the statue was too large compared to the size of the niche. It was for this reason that the community leaders summoned a carpenter to solve the problem, sawing off the legs of the Madonna.
But the carpenter, as soon as he put the saw on the statue, was paralyzed in the arms, while the mayor and the bishop died in that instant. In the days that followed, the Madonna began to pardon her people, performing miraculous acts for the sick who were being led, where the Madonna was placed. Until a few decades ago, devotees used to accompany their loved ones to the same place in the cave, in the hope of a grace.
santuariosantamariadellisola@gmail.com
