“Ubi olim Minervae sacrificia offerebantur hodie oblationes Deiparae recipiuntur” is the epigraph that testifies to the origins of this place of worship. The Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca, once dedicated to the pagan cult of the goddess Minerva; later with the landing of the apostle Paul and the conversion of the indigenous population, it became the temple of the Most Holy Savior.
The Church was destroyed during the persecutions against Christians before being rebuilt and consecrated in 343 by Pope Julius I in Santa Maria dellβAngelo.
Sanctuary of santa maria di leuca
On April 13, 365, a violent storm hit the town of Santa Maria di Leuca. The fishermen turned to the Madonna to stop the storm and the intercession of the Virgin stopped the storm. Out of gratitude the fishermen dedicated the Sanctuary to the Most Holy Virgin.
After numerous raids and attacks by the Turks, the Bishop Mons.Giannelli decided to rebuild and fortify it giving it the appearance of a private house, consecrating it again in 1755.
Pope John Paul II raised it to Basilica Minore in 1990 and in 2008, almost 1300 years after the last pope visiting Leuca (Pope Constantine), Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Holy Mass in the basilica.
For info, visits and opening hours: https://www.basilicaleuca.it/
