Belpasso, Sicily, Italy · 1986
On the slopes of Mount Etna, where lava has shaped the Sicilian landscape for thousands of years, a young man named Rosario Toscano reported seeing the Mother of God in 1986 — once on the way to work, then in the days that followed at a place where a small grotto had been hewn from the rock. The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Roccia rose at the spot where she stood. It is a young, unassuming sanctuary on a cinder-strewn mountain, much-loved by Sicilians.
The Madonna of the Rock
Rosario Toscano was an ordinary young man of Belpasso, a town near Catania on the southeastern flank of Mount Etna. On May 11, 1986, he was driving to work along a road of black volcanic stone when, by his testimony, he saw the Mother of God standing at the side of the road. She told him to come back to that spot, and to gather others to pray.
In the days and weeks that followed, Rosario reported further visions and locutions. The Mother asked for the building of a small chapel at the place. Crowds began to gather; pilgrims found the spot a place of stillness and consolation. The local bishop did not formally pronounce on the supernatural character of the events, but the chapel was built with diocesan approval, and the cult of the Madonna della Roccia — Our Lady of the Rock — has grown there ever since.
The shrine is set among lava beds, where Mount Etna’s eruptions have flowed many times. The contrast between the dark volcanic stone and the white-and-blue figure of Our Lady has become one of the recognizable images of Sicilian Marian devotion. The Mass is celebrated daily; pilgrims come throughout the year, and especially on the eleventh of each month — the anniversary, by date, of the first apparition.
The Sanctuary Today
The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Roccia is a humble building, almost hidden in the volcanic landscape. The chapel surrounds the spot of the apparition; pilgrims pray the Rosary, attend Mass, and make their way along simple paths through the lava country. The shrine is served today by a community of priests and lay associates dedicated to its prayer.
Belpasso, the town below, has been rebuilt several times after eruptions of Etna. The Madonna della Roccia is honored particularly as the protectress of those who live on the volcano — and, more broadly, as a Mother for those whose ground keeps shifting beneath their feet.
A Prayer at the Rock
Madonna of the Rock,
you who came to a young Sicilian
on a road of black volcanic stone —
stand with all who live on shifting ground.
Where the earth itself trembles,
where the home one built may not last —
be the rock beneath the rock.
Mother of Etna and of every mountain that smokes,
pray for us. Amen.
Live from Belpasso
The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Roccia at Belpasso celebrates daily Mass and the Rosary. Pilgrim crowds gather particularly on the eleventh of each month and on the great feasts of the Marian year.
Visit & Learn More
- Sanctuary of the Madonna della Roccia (overview): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_the_Madonna_della_Roccia
- Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_the_Madonna_della_Roccia
Journey with Mary: A Path to Jesus 