MADONNA DEL BALZO SANCTUARY 

[home] [historical overwiew]  [art] [ Mad.del Balzo feast ]

The Sanctuary was built between 1664 and 1679, on a steep place of Mount Triona, at the foot of which Bisacquino develops. From the open space opposite the church, you can enjoy a wonderful view sweeping from the ruins of Battellaro and Calatamauro Castle to the Swabian Castle of Giuliana from S. Maria del Bosco monastery to the Valley of Belice river, as far as the mountains overhanging the cities of Palermo and Trapani.

People from Bisacquino and from other towns of Sicily go on pilgrimage to the Sanctuary from August  1^st to August 15^th, to celebrate Madonna del Balzo (Virgin of the cliff), whose feast is just on August 15^th.

The sanctuary history goes back to some events which took place in the XVII century. According to the legend two shepherds, Vincenzo Addorno and Francesco Perratori, had the vision of a shining light irradiating from a rock and going near it they saw a carved image of the Virgin in one of its hollows. Since then a lot of people have been climbing up to the mountain to venerate it.

Another amazing event took place in 1664, when two youngsters went up there and started  gambling some money in the place where the image was. The loser got angry and threw a stone against the image; the Virgin's forehead started bleeding, while the youngster fainted. His shocked friend ran to the town telling all the people he met what had happened. Soon a crowd hurried up to the mountain, and so the fainted youngster's mother did. When she was in front of the image, crying, she implored the Virgin for forgiveness and asked for mercy for his son. The miracle happened: the fainted boy stood up among all those people who began cheering  the Virgin. Everybody felt that the miracle was a sign from the Virgin's will to be honoured in that place.

Soon after, challenging the place asperity, the construction of the Sanctuary began, thanks to the people's alms.Today you can reach it by car or walking along a cobbled road, skirted by fourteen stone crosses. Along this road, on the 1^st half of August a pilgrimage takes place, usually early in the morning. It starts from the beginning of the road, where two obelisks called "Pileri" stand and finishes inside the church, where pilgrims attend Mass, after saying Rosary while walking to the Sanctuary.