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Santuary
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The country history coincides with the San Vito Martire Sanctuary history, even if important archaeological discoveries, as we will see later on, they confirm that Capo Egitarso was navigators, merchants, craftsmen and fishermen destinatin, since three - four centuries before Christ, don't speaking about the men whom eight - ten thousand years ago lived in many coves of this territory, leaving to the students interesting testimonies of the fauna and the flora of their times (rock paintings).
The legend says that the fortress was risen (in 1450 approximately) when the presence of a hermit who lived in holiness had attracted in the little church thousends of pilgrims; after various repairs, the fortress, that it encircled the church, assumed its actual dimensions : 104 meters of base, 16 meters of height, wall with the thickness from a maximum of two meters and a half to a minimum of twenty centimeters.
The tower - as already said - he is more recent, being constructed around to XVII century, practically after the other guard towers, constructed on plan of the florentine architect Camilliani, person in charged by the viceroy Colonna to plan the coastal defense of the island from the corsairs attack. Still today is possible to see, into a niche on the main front door, a statue of Saint Vito, realized in calcareous stone; Originally this little statue was placed in the inside of the courtyard that separated the fortress from the church.

Of the original church of San Vito Martire remains only the ancient apse, the actual chapel of San Vito, where you can see a beautiful marble statue representing the young San Vito, going back to the end of the XVI century and attributed to the famous sculptor Gagini; so beautiful also the chapel altar restored around to 1780 with marbles of the zone.
For the teacher Enzo Battaglia, the destruction of what of much beautiful was in this church can't be attribute to the corsairs, but to an ignoring and rough parish priest that in 1924 made to pull down walls, marbles and a inner staircase construct with precious marble of the mountains of San Vito.
Still today many people visit the Sanctuary, and in summer like in winter the faithfuls goes there to pray the Madonna and San Vito. The outside part of the Sanctuary has been restored in the beginning of 1998. A signal deserves also the chapel of Santa Crescenzia, that it rises on the provincial road at about kilometers from the sea.
We have said that the chapel was constructed by the ericini in the XVI century, in the point where, say the legend, Santa Crescenzia turned herself to watch the landslide that was burying the unfaithful country of Conturrana. The custom to throw stones into the chapel, to drive away the fears (' U scantu) had damaged the building; an intelligent restoration has given back to the chapel its fascination.
In memory of San Vito, in the half of june is celebrates the Patron of the country, with the disembarkation of the Saint on the beach, and the procession who crosses the roads preceded by the seam of the drums and followed by the faithfuls and the tourists.

 

 
 
 
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