The patroness of Montalbano Elicona is the Madonna della Provvidenza, celebrated on 24 August in the diocesan sanctuary dedicated to her. The church, once dedicated to Saint Dominic and part of the convent of the Order of Preachers — whose conventual building is now the town hall — has kept since the 16th century a wooden statue of the Madonna, a work attributed to Alessandro Pantano, holding a sheaf of wheat while the Child she carries holds a globe and blesses with the other hand.
The town, dominated by the medieval castle that was the summer residence of King Frederick III of Sicily, also holds the basilica of Maria Assunta, with works from the Gagini workshop, and looks out over the Argimusco plateau, with its natural rock formations. Among the town's most cherished traditions are also the living nativity scene and the historical procession.
