The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tindari

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tindari

The Shrine of the Most Holy Mary of Tindari (also known as Sactuary of Tindari or Sanctuary of Black Madonna or Primitive Cathedral of Tindari) is located in Tindari, village of Patti, in the province of Messina. It rises on the summit of the homonymous hill and overlooks the Marinello lakes, inserted in the homonymous nature reserve.

The current building covers the area where there was once the castle of Tindari. The acropolis of Tindari occupies the wide upper part.
Legends surround the cedar wood-carved Black Madonna and how she ended up in Tindari. Local tradition claims that the Byzantine statue was smuggled out of Constantinople in the eighth and ninth centuries and when a storm blew up, the sailors offloaded the Black Madonna into the port of Tindari. There are also legends linked to her role in the creation of the tongue of sand and lagoon which lies in the shadow of the church.
The Black Madonna now sits behind the altar with the inscription ‘nigro sum sed formosa’ (I am black but beautiful) at the base of the statue.

Founded in 396 BC by Dionysius I, Tindari was one of the most significant Greek centres in Sicily. In 254 BC, it became a Roman outpost for several centuries. Ancient ruins that are still visible include Roman buildings and baths, with floor mosaics and extraordinary heating systems. The Basilica is a superb example of Graeco-Roman architecture and the well-preserved theatre, which dates back to the fourth century BC, is home to an annual series of Greek plays and dramatic performances.

Feast of Black Madonna of Tindari

The celebrations in honor of the Madonna culminate, as a tradition, in the solemn procession of the evening of September 7th.
The faithful make pilgrimages from far places to gather around her simulacrum, invoke her with cheers or in silence, to dissolve a vote or to formulate a serious purpose of change of life, multiple manifestations of a single feeling shared by the thousands of people arriving on the hill on this occasion, as in many other days of the year.