Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Immacolata

A sanctuary on the Sentinella hill

On the Sentinella hill, the district of the great 19th-century hotels and the geophysical observatory, stands the sanctuary of Maria Santissima Immacolata (Mary Most Holy, the Immaculate Virgin), the Marian church dearest to the people of upper Casamicciola. It belongs to the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena and the faithful simply call it “the Sentinella church”.

History

The church was founded in 1703 and, according to Achille della Regione's account in his book Ischia Sacra, was originally dedicated to St Anthony of Padua. In 1855 its story became linked to the figure of the Immaculate Virgin: this is the year that the Italian Bishops' Conference census of churches gives for the completion of the building, just a year after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

A deeply cherished tradition tells that in 1883 the statue of the Virgin was found intact and brought to safety. The church was rebuilt in the early 20th century, in the form it still has today; the chancel furnishings were renewed in 1970.

The 1954 coronation

On 3 October 1954 Cardinal Celso Costantini solemnly crowned the statue of the Immacolata with a gold crown made by the Visconti goldsmiths of Naples, as recorded by a plaque in the church. The coronation sealed the site's role as a Marian sanctuary.

Architecture and works of art

The building has a simple façade and a single nave covered by wooden trusses, in keeping with the building methods adopted after 1883. Among the most significant works:

• the statue of the Immacolata, 18th-century Neapolitan school;
• the high altar in polychrome marble, from the second half of the 18th century;
• two niches with wooden statues of St Anthony Abbot and St Vincent Ferrer, dating from the 18th century;
• in the sacristy, two late-19th-century paintings: the Immaculate Virgin with St Anthony of Padua and St Anthony Abbot, and Christ the Redeemer.

Visiting the sanctuary

A reopening ceremony, presided over by the Bishop of Ischia, Monsignor Pietro Lagnese, was held in October 2019; as sources disagree on the current state of the building, for opening times and accessibility it is essential to check with the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena.

Where it is and how to get there

The sanctuary is on Via Castanito, near the Calata Sant'Antonio, in the upper part of town. From the harbour, go up towards the Sentinella and Piazza Maio by car, taxi or the hill buses; the last stretch is on foot.

What to see nearby

A few steps away is the church of the Addolorata, also known as the Purgatorio church. The Sentinella district is worth a stroll for its villas and its memories of 19th-century visitors, from Lamartine to Garibaldi.