Gimigliano
On pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Madonna di Porto
Town
Regione Calabria
The village of Gimigliano, nestled in the woods of Presila Catanzarese, along the Corace Valley, is one of the most famous Marian sites in Calabria: the Shrine of the Madonna di Porto tells the faithful a very special story.
Linked to the plague epidemic of 1626, the Shrine of the Madonna di Porto was founded around the miraculous icon of the Madonna of Constantinople, which the painter Marco Pizzuto (known as 'Marcangione') found completed by himself after leaving it unfinished. The image, one of those defined as 'acheropita', i.e. not painted by human hands, depicts the Madonna breastfeeding and was initially placed in the church of Gimigliano, in the locality of "Porto".
The miraculous painting found its permanent home in 1753, when the Madonna appeared in a dream to a local bandit, Pietro Gatto, who converted, changed his name to Fra' Costantino, and built a small chapel: the current Shrine of the Madonna di Porto, now a popular destination for Marian pilgrimages, which culminate in the great Feast of the Madonna di Porto on the Tuesday after Pentecost.
What else is there to visit in Gimigliano? Populated at the end of the 9th century, probably with the arrival of the troops of the Byzantine general Nicephorus Phocas "the Elder" during the victorious campaign of 885-886, the village was founded on two distinct residential areas: Gimigliano Superiore and Gimigliano Inferiore, both characterised by churches and historic buildings.
Gimigliano is famous for its stone craftsmanship, as evidenced by the presence of two types of stone used in construction from ancient times to the present day: Gimigliano Pink Marble (persichino marble) and Green Stone (ophiolite), which is very common in the Reventino massif. In addition to stoneworking, Gimigliano is also known for the art of weaving and the production of tapestries and blankets.
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