The Sanctuary was built in 1625 by the Senate of Palermo on the ruins of an ancient Byzantine church, almost at the top of Monte Pellegrino where the saint’s bones were found. The bones were carried in procession through the streets of the city, freeing it from the terrible plague epidemic of 1624.
The 17th-century façade leaning against the rock is surmounted by a shrine containing a marble statue of the saint.
Passing through the refined portal, entrance is into a three-arched vestibule with twisted alabaster columns, followed by an open atrium. Once through, the heart of the sanctuary is reached. It consists of a cave, almost 25 metres deep and protected by an iron gate erected in the 18th century.
There is a glass shrine containing the gold-plated statue of Santa Rosalia, before which thousands of believers kneel in prayer. In 1748, the statue was embellished with a golden mantle ordered by King Charles III. The shrine is protected by a canopy of noble stone, worked metal and marble donated by the Senate of Palermo in 1683. The vault of the grotto is criss-crossed by a series of metal channels for collecting the water that comes out of the rock.
The sanctuary houses a remarkable collection of gold and silver ex-votos hanging on the rock walls. They represent the human body parts healed by the Saint’s intercession. Every year on 4 September (Santuzza’s death anniversary), the citizens of Palermo make the acchianata: they walk the ancient path to Monte Pellegrino to reach the sanctuary (about 7 km). Some climb barefoot or on their knees, according to the promise made to the Saint by grace received.
The Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia and Monte Pellegrino are one single site. Monte Pellegrino has always been considered Palermo’s sacred mountain since the first Punic settlements. Even today, Santa Rosalia and Monte Pellegrino are worshipped by non-Catholic communities in Palermo. The Tamil community, for example, visits the sanctuary every Sunday an, on 4 September, it is not uncommon to see Hindu believers walking up the old street barefoot as a sign of devotion.
Goethe defined Monte Pellegrino the most beautiful promontory in the world. Since 1996, it has become an Oriented Natural Reserve, becoming a full-fledged part of Sicily’s scenic and natural beauty.