The Piedigrotta church is located in Calabria one km north of Pizzo. It was consecrated in 1675 and its origins are particular because the history of this church joins the legend and it is not known where one ends and the other begins.
The legend
It is said that around the seventeenth century, due to a terrible storm there was a shipwreck. The sailors of the ship gathered and prayed with faith around a picture of the Madonna that was in the Captain's cabin. They made a vow to build a church if they were saved. The ship sank but the sailors were saved by swimming ashore. The painting of the Madonna and the ship's bell also survived the shipwreck. As promised in vote, the sailors dug a small church in the rock and left the painting depicting the Madonna there. Other storms followed but the painting was always unscathed.
The history of the Piedigrotta church
In 1880, Angelo Barone, an artist from Pizzo, walked every day to the place mentioned in the legend. He enlarged the cave with a pickaxe and then filled the rooms by uncovering statues representing the life of Jesus and the Saints. When Angelo died, his son Alfonso continued his work. Sculpt other groups of statues, angels and bas-reliefs with sacred scenes and frescoes. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the 60s, the small church of Piedigrotta was the object of vandalism but this jewel of faith could not be lost! It so happened that Giorgio, grandson of the Barons who lived in Canada, decided to spend two weeks in Pizzo, the place of his origins. Giorgio was a good sculptor and seeing the work of his uncles and the church lost, he decided to do something and began to restore the church. He stayed in Calabria the time needed to bring the church of Piedigrotta back to its ancient splendor. He not only restored the small church so loved by his relatives but also sculpted two medallions depicting Pope John XXIII and John Kennedy.
The little church of Piedigrotta is open every day and mass is celebrated there on 2th July, At the Our Lady of Grace. It is a place of prayer where faith and beauty come together to create the ideal atmosphere and place where the faithful gather to invoke graces and entrust their deepest desires to Our Lady. Imagine the surprise of those who arrive at Piedigrotta and see an essential structure, with a simple iron cross as a symbol and then, going inside, find themselves in front of it. three caves with statues created from the same rock of the structure depicting scenes from the Holy Scriptures, angels, and the representation of the faithful gathered and praying in front of the statue of the Madonna of Pompeii.
The little church of Piedigrotta is a church unique in the world, a true masterpiece, it is a feast for the eyes and the heart.
