Santuario della Madonna Nera di Tindari
The Sanctuary of Tindari, or Black Madonna, is located in Tindari, fraction of Patti (ME), on top of the hill of the same name that dominates the Marinello lakes, placed in the homonymous Natural Reserve. The current building covers the area where stood the primitive Fortress. Very few artifacts saved from Arabic destruction: according to oral tradition, the statue is kept in Tindari arrives at a time when the city is dominated by the Byzantines (535-836). With gable prospectus inserted between the bell towers, the facade opens in the portal arch made of ashlar with the surface of the first order. The second order is marked by a circular window above the entrance. Simple frames adorn the lower orders of the bell towers, eight-pointed stars, adorning the central ones; the third order, single and the fourth, cusps with a square base. The main altar consists of two pairs of columns and, in the center, a coat of arms with friezes. The right side altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Tindari: Baroque with canopy supported by putti, in high relief stucco and twisted columns, the center of which is revealed the niche that holds a replica of the icon by Salvatore Rizzuti in 1997. Between the 50s and 70s, the Sanctuary became insufficient to welcome pilgrims and suffered a recent major expansion. The current access is guaranteed from an atrium decorated with stained glass windows, depicting allegories of the Cardinal Virtues.
