| The sanctuary of Our Lady of the Staircase is located within the ravine of the same name and is accessible via a majestic staircase of 125 steps.
The current sanctuary, dedicated to the Madonna della Scala, was built in 1729 on an older chapel, a design engineer Scarcia of Taranto, and was completed and opened for worship in 1737. The façade is in Baroque style and the interior has a Latin cross.
On the high altar is placed the icon of the Madonna della Scala. Along the walls there are six altars, sixteen century paintings, works of the school of Cesare Fracanzano, depicting the Apostles and Evangelists, and a painting by Nicholas Galeone representing the Miracle of the Hinds.
According to legend, shepherds saw these animals standing close to a rock on which was painted the image of the Virgin, the remains of a small chapel collapsed. The event, considered a miraculous sign, gave birth to pilgrimages and devotions to the construction of a church, later replaced by the present one. |