| Building Name: | Sanctuary of Madonna dei Miracoli |
| Native Name: | Santuario della Madonna dei Miracoli |
| Native Name Lang: | it |
| Map Size: | 220px |
| Location: | Alcamo, Trapani, Italy |
| Coordinates: | 37.9848°N 12.9667°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Roman Catholic |
| Rite: | Catholic |
| Region: | Sicily |
| State: | Italy |
| Province: | Trapani |
| Territory: | Alcamo |
| Architecture Style: | Baroque-Renaissance style |
The Sanctuary of Madonna dei Miracoli ("Holy Mary of Miracles") is a church in Alcamo, province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy; it is dedicated to the Madonna of the Miracles (the patron saint of Alcamo).
The sanctuary was built in 1547 by order of the governor and captain of justice of Alcamo Fernando Vega[1] and following the discovery of an icon of Madonna of Miracles in a small chapel which had been abandoned.[2] Afterwards the sanctuary was modified several times, with a restoration in the first years of the 18th century.
In 1754 it was aggregated to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore of Rome; in 1784 there was the solemn coronation of Our Lady of Miracles.In 1901 they founded here the pious congregation Le predilette di Maria.[3]
In 2015, in connection with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the sanctuary was proclaimed "Holy Door" of Alcamo, together with the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption.[4]
You can reach the sanctuary through a downhill pebbled footpath which leads to a large flight of steps near the church.The sanctuary, in a Baroque-Renaissance style,[5] has got two façades with two different portals. On the main façade, opposite the footpath, there is a jut window surrounded by two smaller ones.The interior of the sanctuary has a single nave with 8 altars, there are also some stuccoes by Nicolò Curti made in 1762.
On the vault of the sanctuary there is a fresco representing the glorification of Our Lady of Miracles, while in the apse there is a second fresco with the apparition of Our Lady of Miracles to a group of women, and a third one with the founding of Our Lady of Miracles. These three works were realized in 1947 by, a painter from Catania.[6]
These are the other works:
The picture was painted a second time in 1890, following a fire, and restored in 1963 by the Sicilian painter .
Inside the sacristy there are:
Traditionally, during the month of May (dedicated to Our Lady), believers go to the sanctuary through the footpath, saying their prayers during the descent.Every year, on 19, 20 and 21 June, inside the Church there are the celebrations in honour of Madonna of Miracles: this is the most important religious feast in Alcamo.[10]