Holiday apartment in Calvaruso: Sanctuary, Art and Beaches

Calvaruso combines the Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo with sacred art and surroundings featuring historical sites, beaches and mountains. The Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo is just as much a focal point as the destinations around Calvaruso.

Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo and sacred art

The Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo in Calvaruso was built around 1619. The sanctuary houses an Ecce Homo statue made of cypress wood, created by Frate Umile da Petralia in 1634.

A bronze Via Crucis with 15 stations lines a path leading to the Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo. The work was created in 1984 by the Sicilian artist Biagio Governali. The Museo della devozione is also located in rooms next to the sanctuary’s 17th-century cloister. The sacred area therefore extends across the sanctuary, a path with stations and rooms by the cloister.

Cypress wood, bronze and wood carving are represented in various forms of design and execution among the sacred works.

Religious traditions throughout the year

The Ecce Homo effigy in the sanctuary of Calvaruso, regarded as miraculous, has attracted thousands of pilgrims for around 400 years, especially at Easter and in summer. The pilgrimage is therefore linked to a long period of tradition that has been passed down to the present day.

The exhibition Mostra del Mini presepe is shown at the Santuario Gesù Ecce Homo over the turn of the year, from December 25 to January 15. When planning a visit, the exhibition period includes both the final days of December and the first half of January.

Further sacred works of art

A panel depicting Saint Lucy is located on the right-hand side of a temple. It was painted by Marco Antonio Veneziano and bears an inscription with the year 1582.

There is also a wooden statue of Saint Margaret on the main altar of a temple, carved in 1871 by the Messina artist Michele Cangeri.

Ruins, castle and palace in the surrounding area

The ancient site Ruderi di una antica Badia is located in the area around Calvaruso. The ruins Forte dei Centri are also located in the immediate vicinity of Calvaruso, while the castle il Castellaccio is in the surrounding area. The palace Monte di Pietà is likewise located in the area around Calvaruso. Thus, further historical sites, each with its own name and function, follow the sanctuary.

Beaches and mountains in the surrounding area

The beach Spiaggia di Marmora is located in the immediate vicinity of Calvaruso; the beach Riviera del Ringo is also in the surrounding area. The mountains Monte Ciccia and Monte Antennamare are likewise located in the area around Calvaruso.

Further travel destinations: Misserio, Basicò, Militello Rosmarino, Stromboli, San Paolo, Cesarò, Moio Alcantara and Leni.

Messina at a glance: Messina.