The patron saint of Naro is Saint Calogero, celebrated on 18 June with a traditional procession during which the statue of the black saint, set on a huge sledge called the «straula», is dragged by the faithful with ropes about 200 metres long along the town's streets, for about a kilometre, from the sanctuary of San Calogero to the mother church. The period of celebrations begins on 15 June with the «acchianata», the ascent of the statue from the cave to the sanctuary, and ends on 25 June with the so-called Octave of San Calogero; during these ten days several processions are held, along with artistic and cultural events, while the main streets are set up as a fair and market. One of the most characteristic ways in which the faithful thank the saint, venerated as a healer, is to bring to the sanctuary loaves of bread shaped like the body parts healed through his intercession, blessed by the Guanellian fathers and then distributed to the faithful.
Count Roger, shortly after conquering the town, turned the local mosque into the mother church, establishing there the deanery of the diocese of Girgenti. Under the Swabians Naro was named a parliamentary city, and Emperor Frederick II called it «Fulgentissima» at the parliament of Messina in 1233, counting it among the 23 royal or parliamentary cities of the Kingdom of Sicily. After half a century of internal strife, the city experienced a rebirth from 1366, when it passed to Matteo Chiaramonte: during this period the church of Santa Caterina was built, the Oratory of Santa Barbara was completed, the castle was enlarged, and the mother church was probably restored and enlarged, obtaining the title of cathedral at the end of the century from King Martin the Younger.
