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Sanctuary of the Madonna della Montagna of Polsi

Sanctuary · San Luca (Polsi) · Calabria

In brief

Festivals and dates

From Greek monks to the rectors of Polsi

The sanctuary's origins are entwined with legend. One tradition tells of a shepherd who, searching for a lost animal, found it kneeling before an iron cross dug out of the ground, and of the Virgin asking him for a church on that spot; the Municipality of San Luca places the story in the eleventh century and also records a version in which Byzantine monks arrived here in the ninth century, while another tradition links the foundation to Count Roger de Hauteville. What is historically certain is the presence of Basilian monks, whose monastery venerated an image of Mary.

When Basilian monasticism died out in Calabria towards the end of the fifteenth century, the sanctuary went through centuries of decline. Revival came with Idelfonso Del Tufo, Bishop of Gerace, who laid the first stone of the new building in 1740. In 1752 the first rector was appointed, Don Francesco Larosa of Mammola: under his guidance the sanctuary was enlarged, the friary and pilgrim lodgings were built, and word of the miracles spread through Calabria and Sicily.

At the end of the nineteenth century the prior Enrico Macrì had the church restored and embellished. In 2002 the diocese recognised it as a Marian sanctuary, and in 2004 it was affiliated to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Sources: Santuario della Madonna di Polsi - Comune di San Luca · La storia - Madonna della Montagna Sito Ufficiale · I Santuari - Diocesi di Locri-Gerace

The Mother of the Divine Shepherd

The Madonna of Polsi, known as the Madonna of the Mountain, is venerated as Mother of the Divine Shepherd. Her image is a large stone statue showing her seated with the Child on her knees; according to the sanctuary's website it was brought from Sicily in 1560. The statue was crowned in 1881, 1931 and 1981; since 1994 the diocese has set the coronation to be repeated every twenty-five years, and the Municipality gives the most recent one as 2 September 2022.

Polsi expresses a simple, spontaneous popular faith: Masses are accompanied by songs and tarantellas, and parents of children who recovered from serious illness undress them on the Virgin's altar as a sign of gratitude. On the eve of the feast many devotees sleep in the sanctuary, following the ancient rite of incubatio.

From spring to October pilgrims arrive from the province of Reggio Calabria, from Messina and from other parts of Calabria, often in caravans on foot. The sanctuary is affiliated to Santa Maria Maggiore, and those who come on pilgrimage can obtain the plenary indulgence on the occasions set by the diocese.

Sources: Santuario della Madonna di Polsi - Comune di San Luca · La storia - Madonna della Montagna Sito Ufficiale · I Santuari - Diocesi di Locri-Gerace

The church, the museum and the valley

The sanctuary lies in a narrow valley among the mountains, crossed by the Bonamico torrent, which runs down to the Ionian Sea through San Luca. In the church, besides the stone statue on the altar, there is a second, wooden statue of the Virgin used for processions and visits to parishes, the Holy Cross and various relics, including the coffin of the young prince of Roccella linked to a miracle of 1771.

On the first floor of the friary, in the rooms that once held the kitchen and refectory, is the sanctuary museum. The route is divided into four themed areas and, alongside precious objects connected with the cult, displays many small ex-votos left by anonymous faithful, a record of centuries of pilgrimage.

All around is the landscape of the Aspromonte National Park: among the park's themed routes is the high-altitude trail from Gambarie to Polsi, and near the sanctuary you may still meet shepherds from San Luca with their flocks.

Sources: Santuario della Madonna di Polsi - Comune di San Luca · Museo - Madonna della Montagna Sito Ufficiale · Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte: cosa vedere - Italia.it

The caravans and the September feast

The main feast's calendar begins on 22 August, when the caravan on foot leaves the town of San Luca and the novena opens. Celebrations run from 31 August to 2 September, the solemn day of the Madonna of Polsi, with large numbers of pilgrims from across Calabria and from Sicily. Masses are accompanied by songs and tarantellas, and on the night of the vigil many devotees stay to sleep in the sanctuary.

Every twenty-five years, during the feast, the coronation of the statue of the Virgin and Child is renewed. On 14 September the sanctuary also celebrates the Exaltation of the Cross, a natural link with the iron cross at the heart of the foundation legends.

Sources: Santuario della Madonna di Polsi - Comune di San Luca · I Santuari - Diocesi di Locri-Gerace

Reaching Polsi

Polsi is a mountain hamlet of the municipality of San Luca, in the province of Reggio Calabria. From San Luca you follow the signs for the Aspromonte National Park for about twenty kilometres; entry to the sanctuary is free and without architectural barriers. Organised pilgrimages are concentrated between June and September and arrive by car, small bus and van or on foot; for walkers, the park offers the themed route from Gambarie to Polsi.

The sanctuary has a guest house for holidays and spiritual retreats, with accommodation for individuals, families and groups and a pilgrims' refectory. Information on accommodation and reception is published on the official website madonnadellamontagna.it.

Sources: Santuario della Madonna di Polsi - Comune di San Luca · I Santuari - Diocesi di Locri-Gerace · Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte: cosa vedere - Italia.it · Accoglienza - Madonna della Montagna Sito Ufficiale

Sources