What to see
The building's current form stems from centuries of alterations, heavily driven by the earthquakes of 1783 and 1905. Very little of the early medieval fabric survives. The original floor plan featured a central square room enclosed by a vaulted ambulatory. A three-nave basilica layout with barrel vaults was later grafted onto this base. This layering resulted in an irregular structure where the ancient tuff sections of the peribolos now function as an unusual fourth nave, featuring fragments of sepulchral tombstones set directly into the masonry. The exterior reflects the post-1905 reconstruction: the existing portico was made symmetrical, a bell tower was positioned centrally on the facade, and decorative terminal pinnacles were added. Access to the church is via a staircase constructed around 1810. Inside, the altar niche holds an 18th-century mixed-media sculptural group of the Holy Family.
Visiting
The sanctuary is deeply rooted in local lore dating back to the iconoclastic period. According to legend, a wooden statue of the Virgin arrived from the East but was too large for the natural cave selected by the local bishop and mayor. A carpenter hired to saw off the statue's legs was paralyzed instantly, while the two officials dropped dead. For centuries afterward, and until recent decades, the sick were brought to this cave to pray for healing. Today, the most significant public event occurs on the Feast of the Assumption, when the 18th-century Holy Family sculptures are taken on a maritime procession. Loaded onto a decorated fishing boat, they are paraded along the coast from Zambrone to Capo Vaticano, accompanied by a fleet of smaller vessels.
Our editors' tip
Take a moment to examine the rough tuff walls of the fourth nave. These surviving sections of the ancient Byzantine peribolos, complete with embedded tombstone fragments, offer the clearest glimpse into the site's original layout before modern reconstructions altered its shape.