Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua

Entirely excavated in the cave, according to tradition it was the refuge of the Saint, then Portuguese missionary Ferdinand of Bulhoes, whose ship had been hijacked by a violent storm during a trip to the birth of Lisbon (1221). The cave, after his death (1231) and his canonization (1232), was transformed first into a place of prayer and then into a sanctuary, today the result of successive interventions in 1575, 1737 and 1783.

The church, with a single nave and a bell tower, has a simple classical portal from 1699 with a niche next to it containing the polychrome statue of the Saint. The high altar was built in 1699, while the new side altar of the Madonna della Provvidenza and the floor were built in 1737. The wooden statue of the Saint (1704) by the sculptor from Palermo Noè Marullo replaced the sixteenth century destroyed by fire. The side walls are covered with marble slabs with bas-reliefs depicting the miracles of the Saint. The door of the sacristy, in polychrome marbles and with carved wooden doors, dates back to 1737. In a small room carved into the rock is the ancient place of prayer of Sant’Antonio.