The origin of the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima del Rosario di Tagliavia stems from the accidental discovery of a painted slate slab buried under a pile of stones in the Strasatto fief. Found by the Lo Jacono brothers while clearing land for sheepfolds, the image—inspired by Anthony van Dyck's famous altarpiece in Palermo—depicts the Virgin presenting the Rosary to St. Dominic while the Infant Jesus hands a crown of thorns to St. Catherine of Siena. Situated in the municipality of Monreale along the historic Magna Via Francigena route between Marineo and Corleone, the site quickly became a pilgrimage destination after a spring emerged nearby. In 1811, King Ferdinand I of Bourbon visited from his nearby hunting lodge in Ficuzza, drank from the spring to cure a knee ailment, and granted the resident hermits land, timber, and an annual stipend.
What to see
The present church, inaugurated on May 1, 1845, to replace an earlier hermitage structure, features a two-tiered sandstone facade flanked by twin square bell towers with decorated domes and a central wrought-iron cross. An isosceles-shaped staircase leads up to the main portal, above which sits a large central window and a triangular pediment housing a marble high-relief.
Inside, the single-nave interior opens with an entrance choir loft supported by two columns and three arches. The side walls contain 19th-century paintings commissioned by local patrons, including the Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter, Saints Paul and Anthony Hermits, the Baptism in the Jordan, the Nativity with the Magi, and a Crucifix set within stucco work by Francesco Nacchetti, alongside a carved wooden pulpit. In the presbytery, four frescoed pendentives support a dome embellished with stuccos by Palermitan artist Giovanni Battista Noto. Side frescoes portray the discovery of the slate painting and the construction of the sanctuary, leading to the polychrome marble main altar where the original slate icon of the Virgin of the Rosario is displayed within a columned niche.
Visiting
Located on Provincial Road 42 halfway between Piana degli Albanesi and Corleone, the sanctuary hosts its primary annual celebration on Ascension Day. Due to the sanctuary's proximity to the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, Byzantine-rite liturgies are occasionally celebrated here. The original small church constructed by the early hermits now serves as a chapel for winter worship.
Our editors' tip
Take time to inspect the heavy sandstone buttresses along the outer side walls, which demonstrate the robust architectural engineering required for this remote rural sanctuary.