Santa Maria delle Grazie

Kraak! In Piazza dei Martiri, right at the foot of Terra Murata — the medieval citadel that watches over the island from above — stands one of the most beloved churches in Procida: the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie.

Its story begins even before it was built. On this very spot there already stood a chapel dating from 1521, dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie. In 1679, Archbishop Innico Caracciolo commissioned a larger church to be built here, using the remains of that ancient chapel as foundations and building material. Stone upon stone, faith upon faith. Criii!

The building is in Baroque style, with a Greek cross layout — a cross with four equal arms, unlike the Latin cross — and a wider transverse arm. The interior is eighteenth-century in character, elegant and intimate. The entrance is surmounted by the choir, with access to the sacristy on the left. The main nave, adorned with floral designs, leads you step by step to the central altar.

And that is where the heart of it all lies: the canvas of the Madonna delle Grazie. In 1854, at the wish of the island's inhabitants, it was enriched with gold and silver — a gesture of gratitude to the Virgin for the miracle of having freed Procida from the plague. Squa-squa! Then in 1924, a series of crowns were added to the artwork, marking the elevation of the church to a Marian Sanctuary, during the liturgical ceremony presided over by Cardinal Ascalesi.

Did you know that the church also houses four more altars, dedicated respectively to Saint Joseph, Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Francis of Assisi and the Madonna Addolorata? And in the sacristy, a precious eighteenth-century canvas is preserved, depicting the Immaculate Conception alongside Saint Lucy and Saint Cajetan of Thiene. Kraak! A sacred heritage worth every step of the climb. Come and discover it for yourself.