2-995-534 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Grotto of Santa Rosalia, Palermo - from a drawing by the Rev. S.C. Malan, 1860. 'The Convent and Grotto of Santa Rosalia are situated near the summit of Monte Pellegrino. So great is the veneration in which this saint is held by the inhabitants of Palermo that, at all hours, pilgrims and devotees are to be seen ascending the steep road of La Scala, which leads to the rocky shrine...The history of Santa Rosalia is connected with the history of Palermo. The sanctity of her character has been the subject of the most romantic legends. It is said that her saintly influence has more than once mitigated the horrors of the plague in the city which she has deigned to protect. The fete held in her honour is one of the most magnificent of the Roman Catholic Church. Her supposed remains are borne through the city in a coffin of silver...In the evening of this remarkable festival Palermo and its beautiful bay are bright with illuminations. The sacred remains of Santa Rosalia have been borne again to the convent, and, during the remainder of the year, they are deposited in the rocky shrine which forms the subject of our Illustration'. From "Illustrated London News", 1860.