Hermitage of Our Lady of Montevergine

Prince Francesco Alliata of Villafranca, who in 1624 built the village that he named Sant’Anna, developed the current sanctuary. It lies on a rock spur at the foot of Kratas, a short distance from the river Verdura. The complex is made up of a single nave church and an annexed hermitage that is spread over two floors: the ground floor consists of small rooms suitable for the monks’ work while the living cells and the small bell-tower are located on the top floor. The hermitage has considerable religious value for the Sant’Anna community, as it is precisely there that the “Montevirgine Cross” is kept; a fifteenth-century wooden crucifix highly cherished by the entire community. Legend has it that it was painted on Saint Bridget’s bed boards and brought from Africa by followers of Saint Augustine.