Sanctuary of Madonna di Galeano

The Sanctuary of Madonna di Galeano is one of the most popular spiritual places for the people of Torchiarolo. A small church immersed in the countryside and watched over by centuries-old olive trees. It still retains the miraculous atmosphere of its origins, which makes it a destination for pilgrimages and splendid celebrations.

The church was built on the site of a miraculous discovery made in ancient times, when peasants ploughing in the Galeano area unearthed a painting with the image of the Madonna. It had apparently been hidden there for protection by some Christians fleeing from barbarian persecution. The miraculous legend created such a devotion to the Madonna of Galeano that it inspired the Basilian monks to build the first church on the site to house the image. However, an unusual quarrel broke out between the faithful of Torchiarolo and their neighbours from San Pietro Vernotico, who tried to steal the image (now lost). They claimed it on the basis of the popular belief that the orientation of the entrance to the church, which originally faced San Pietro, determined its ownership. The matter was later settled peacefully, but the entrance to the small church was moved to the south, where it remains today, following the restoration work necessary to restore the stability of the building.
The building of the small sanctuary is essential, with a pink plaster façade with cornices and mouldings in Lecce stone, a portal surmounted by a simple lunette opening and a single-pitch roof. The interior, with a single nave and ribbed vaults, is also simple, plastered entirely in white, as if to draw attention to the contemporary fresco of the Crucifixion behind the high altar and, on the right, to the aedicule with the evocative Byzantine painting of the Virgin and Child. Outside, in the tranquillity of the place, a modern altar welcomes pilgrims throughout the day.