Saint Rosalia Sanctuary

Last Updated: August 10, 2023

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Saint Rosalia Sanctuary

Saint Rosalia Sanctuary , commonly called the Santuzza, is an exceptional church for its religious significance and for its particular construction.
The Saint Rosalia Sanctuary, which is the patron saint of Palermo, is an important place of prayer and one of the most evocative monuments of Palermo, able to create emotions to famous writers such as the romantic poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
This church has a very particular structure and can be reached by car with a road full of hairpin bends from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of Palermo.
There is also a walkable staircase that leads from the foot of the mountain to the sanctuary.

Address: Via Bonanno Pietro, 90142 Palermo
Phone: +39091 540326

Church

The church was built adjacent to the cave where Santa Rosalia lived the last eight years of her life, so as to be one with Monte Pellegrino, the sacred mountain of the inhabitants of Palermo.
It is a religious force that strikes tourists with its incredible view in the cave, ingenuity of architecture of the past.
Do not miss a visit to the Saint Rosalia Sanctuary if you come to Palermo.

History

The Sanctuary was built in the seventeenth century following the miraculous event that ended the plague of Palermo.
A long staircase leads you to the sanctuary where you can also admire the facade of the seventeenth century of this very original church built in symbiosis with the mountain.
Upon entering, through the vestibule and the hall with a dome, you have access to the cave of about 25 meters where Saint Rosalia lived and died.

Saint Rosalia Sanctuary
Church
History
Santa Rosalia
Useful information
Video

Santa Rosalia

There is no reliable information about the origins of Santa Rosalia , patron saint of the city , affectionately called “Santuzza” by the people of Palermo.
According to legend, she was the daughter of nobles, perhaps of the lineage of Charlemagne, but left the luxurious life after the refusal of marriage with Count Baldwin.
The religious life of Saint Rosalia began around 15 years when she abandoned her father’s house, Rosalia chose the life of a hermit and for 12 years lived in a small karst cave in the woods of Quisquina in the province of Agrigento, today part of the Hermitage of Santa Rosalia alla Quisquina.
After a short break in Palermo, Rosalia resumed her life as a hermit in a cave in the sacred mountain of Palermo, where she died after eight years at just 40 years.
She was proclaimed patron saint of the city of Palermo in 1624, almost 450 years after her death.

Useful information

At the Sanctuary it is possible to get married, organizing the wedding well in advance given the considerable demands.
From the port of Palermo (Via Crispi) you can reach the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia by bus, with line 812.