According to tradition, the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima di Gibilmanna was founded on the slopes of Pizzo Sant'Angelo as one of six Benedictine monasteries built by Pope Gregory the Great before his election in 590. Located 800 meters above sea level near Cefalù, the original site fell into decay after the Arab conquest in 858 and was restored under Norman rule. In 1535, Father Sebastiano Majo da Gratteri established the Capuchin Order at Gibilmanna, building a small friary beside the medieval chapel. The shrine's spiritual importance culminated in 1954, when Pope Pius XII designated Mary Most Holy of Gibilmanna as the patron saint of the city and diocese of Cefalù.
What to see
The sanctuary's Neo-Gothic facade dates to 1907, erected after the collapse of an earlier 17th-century entrance portico. The forecourt features a 1927 monument to Saint Francis created by sculptor Francesco Garufi and architect Misuraca. Inside, the Chapel of the Madonna contains a marble altar assembled in 1785 by Baldassarre Pampilonia, originally created for Palermo Cathedral. The structure incorporates marble statues of Saint John the Baptist by Scipione Casella and Saint Helena by Fazio Gagini. The chapel preserves a detached Byzantine fresco depicting the Madonna and Child, salvaged from the original chapel prior to its demolition in the 1620s, alongside a Byzantine Crucifix associated with a local legend of a speaking Christ. A statue of the Virgin, attributed in the 19th century to Antonello Gagini, stands on a pedestal inscribed by the hermit Giuliano Piazza da Mussomeli. Behind the high altar hangs a painting of the Assumption created for the church's reopening in 1625, and the sanctuary displays a 1576 portrait of Jesus painted by Father Sebastiano using pigments derived from native flora. The former friary stables have been converted into the Fra Giammaria da Tusa Museum.
Visiting
Visitors can tour the main church—rebuilt between 1619 and 1623—along with the restored interior courtyards and the Fra Giammaria da Tusa Museum. The broader site includes the Seraphic Seminary opened in 1958 and areas designated for art restoration laboratories and a wooden theater.
Our editors' tip
Examine the base of the Virgin's statue in the Madonna Chapel to spot the inscription bearing the name of the hermit Giuliano Piazza da Mussomeli. Local tradition claims that he made his home inside the hollowed trunk of a giant chestnut tree growing on the mountain slopes.