Santuario di Gibilmanna
The Santuario di Gibilmanna is a shrine of Our Lady in the mountains above Cefalù . It is located at an altitude of approx. 800 m in Gibilmanna , a district of Cefalù, on a western slope near the summit of Pizzo S. Angelo in the Madonie . The sanctuary is in the middle of a large forest area where beech, elm, ash, oak and chestnut grow.
According to tradition, the sanctuary originally goes back to Pope Gregory the Great , who founded a Benedictine monastery here in the 6th century .
During the Arab domination , the monastery fell into disrepair, but the church was kept by hermits . After the Norman conquest of Sicily , the monastery was rebuilt. In 1228 the church became a priory, so it no longer served as a monastery church.
In 1535 the church was transferred to the Capuchin Order and a small monastery was built next to it . In 1619 it was decided to build a new, larger church building in place of the old Benedictine church . This church was completed in 1623 and consecrated in 1625.
From the old church, a Byzantine-style fresco showing the Virgin and Child Jesus (Madonna col bambino) was transferred to a side chapel of the new church. A statue of Our Lady and a Byzantine crucifix on a side wall of this Capella della Madonna also come from the old church.
In 1907 the facade of the church was renewed in neo-Gothic style after the collapse of the portico .
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Coordinates: 37 ° 59 ′ 13.5 ″ N , 14 ° 1 ′ 6.9 ″ E