SHARRYLAND
Gasperina - Our Lady of Termini
As its name suggests, the shrine stands in a relevant location where the territory subject to the Charterhouse of San Bruno once ended
Where is
From the gulf to the mountains a very wide horizon tour
The small shrine depends on the parish of St. Nicholas Bishop of Gasperina and stands on a rise some distance from the town. The site is likely that of an ancient watchtower that allowed the entire Gulf of Squillace, from Capo Colonna to Punta Stilo, and the mountainous hinterland from Sila beyond the Serre to Aspromonte, to be kept under control.
The foundation stone in the sign of the Great Count Roger
An ancient source recites that the place of worship was built shortly after the year 1000 at the behest of the Norman Roger of Altavilla. The church, dedicated to Mary Most Holy, is called "di Termini" because it is believed that the hill on which it stands represented the northern boundary of the possessions of the Carthusian monastery of Serra San Bruno, which counted the hamlet of Gasperina among its many possessions. The object of uninterrupted devotion, the church was erected as a shrine 'in perpetuum' in 1992.
At Ferragosto, people go up to the shrine for the Assumption.
The small church has a sober facade, on which a small bell gable stands out, and has a simple structure. Preceded by a portico, in the manner of Franciscan settlements, it has an 18th-century portal in local stone, decorated with a distinctive flat ashlar carving. On the altar at the end of the single nave stands the venerated statue of Our Lady of Termini, the object of the main celebration on August 15.
An impartial way to settle a religious dispute.
According to legend, the statue of Our Lady of Termini was found at sea by some fishermen. Disputed by the inhabitants of Gasperina, Montauro and Montepaone, it was decided to place her on a cart drawn by two oxen, agreeing to build a shrine at the place where they would stop. And from here she would watch over the coastal towns in constant danger from Saracen raids.
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