Shrine of the Madonna of Costantinopoli

Among the places dedicated to Our Lady of Constantinople in Calabria, the Shrine of the Madonna of Costantinopoli in Papasidero, in the province of Cosenza, stands out.

The Shrine of the Madonna di Costantinopoli is set in a place of great naturalistic as well as spiritual suggestion. It dates back to the 17th century and rises in a rocky wall on the bank of the Lao river, a waterway much loved by rafting and canoeing enthusiasts.

Accessible by a stepped path and a bridge connecting the two banks, the present Shrine of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli stands on the remains of an earlier medieval church and picksle inside a fresco of the Madonna of Constantinople in the company of the Archangel Michael.

A gem? The ancient organ in the nave.