THE "SANTUARIO DI MARIA SS"
In the place where the Santuario now stands there was, initially, a chapel built in 1240 by Carmelites, later a bigger church was built and given the name "il Santuario". Here, the statue of the Madonna which came from Cypress in 1188 is kept.
There are different stories about how the Madonna arrived in Trapani. The most probable is that the marble statue was brought from Cypress to Trapani after the Muslim occupation and kept here because of its miraculous healing powers.
The chapel of the Madonna of Trapani was begun in 1498 and completed in 1520.
Among the works kept in the Santuario are frescoes by Domenico La Bruna, a statue of Saint Elia by Francesco Nolfo and a crucifixion by Pietro Orlando and a number of works by Trapanese artisans.
