Sicily: Siracusa Part 16 - A Few Final Images From Ortigia: Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which didn't fit the prior posts. Our next stop will be Noto. The first image is...

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which didn't fit the prior posts. Our next stop will be Noto.

The first image is the Basilica of Our Lady of Tears which we didn't get a chance to visit. The history is interesting nonetheless, and it's very different from the ancient churches throughout Italy, so I've included it here.

The Basilica of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of the Tears), also called Madonnina delle Lacrime is a 20th-century Roman Catholic Marian shrine church in Siracusa in Sicily, Italy. The modern building, derided by some as an inverted ice-cream cone, dominates the skyline of the approach to Ortigia.

Description
An international competition was held to design the church, and the design by Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat was selected. The main engineer for construction was Riccardo Morandi. Construction of the shrine began in 1966, but was only complete by 1994. During construction, the foundations were found to contain a crypt, likely a paleo-christian mausoleum, now in the inferior rooms of the church. The building initially was planned to be larger, but at 103 meters high, it was truncated some 30 meters. The church is adjacent to the Catacombs of San Giovanni and the Basilica of San Marziano.

The construction and design of the sanctuary was highly controversial. There are various interpretations of the design, including that it is meant to suggest a giant teardrop impacting the earth. The construction atop an archeologic site required special permission. Others objected to the construction of such a pretentious structure to honor the putative miracle, occurring from August 29 to September 1, 1953, when a plaster icon of the Madonna of the Immaculate Heart was claimed to have shed tears for an indigent local couple, including a fisherman husband. The event was putatively observed by crowds and included even sampling of the chemistry of fluids. The icon was subsequently moved from their abode in via degli Orti here.

The first stone for construction was consecrated in 1954. In 2002 Pope John Paul II elevated the sanctuary to the status of a minor basilica. In 2019, the Episcopal Conference of Sicily titled it a regional sanctuary.

Atop the dome is a gilded bronze statue of the Madonna in rings with rays, by Francesco Caldarella. The square altar with a bronze base, has four panels depicting scenes from the Apocalyptic visions of the Book of Revelation. The inscription quotes St Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Cristo ha amato la Chiesa e ha dato se stesso per lei.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_delle_Lacrime,_Siracusa

Basilica of Our Lady of Tears taken from the Archeological Park

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After crossing one of the three bridges

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Some mellow yellow for my friend Joecichjr

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No shortage of Sicilian Fedoras

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The entrance of our hotel. They flew the "Old Glory" in our honor.

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Through the window of the glass elevator in the hotel courtyard.

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A father out for an evening Passeggiata with his boys (taken from the Trattoria Siciliana)

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Our final breakfast with a view of the harbor from the hotel restaurant deck where we had a delicious buffet each morning.

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srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Location Maps:

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DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

srfmhg wrote:

Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which didn't fit the prior posts. Our next stop will be Noto.

The first image is the Basilica of Our Lady of Tears which we didn't get a chance to visit. The history is interesting nonetheless, and it's very different from the ancient churches throughout Italy, so I've included it here.

The Basilica of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of the Tears), also called Madonnina delle Lacrime is a 20th-century Roman Catholic Marian shrine church in Siracusa in Sicily, Italy. The modern building, derided by some as an inverted ice-cream cone, dominates the skyline of the approach to Ortigia.

Description
An international competition was held to design the church, and the design by Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat was selected. The main engineer for construction was Riccardo Morandi. Construction of the shrine began in 1966, but was only complete by 1994. During construction, the foundations were found to contain a crypt, likely a paleo-christian mausoleum, now in the inferior rooms of the church. The building initially was planned to be larger, but at 103 meters high, it was truncated some 30 meters. The church is adjacent to the Catacombs of San Giovanni and the Basilica of San Marziano.

The construction and design of the sanctuary was highly controversial. There are various interpretations of the design, including that it is meant to suggest a giant teardrop impacting the earth. The construction atop an archeologic site required special permission. Others objected to the construction of such a pretentious structure to honor the putative miracle, occurring from August 29 to September 1, 1953, when a plaster icon of the Madonna of the Immaculate Heart was claimed to have shed tears for an indigent local couple, including a fisherman husband. The event was putatively observed by crowds and included even sampling of the chemistry of fluids. The icon was subsequently moved from their abode in via degli Orti here.

The first stone for construction was consecrated in 1954. In 2002 Pope John Paul II elevated the sanctuary to the status of a minor basilica. In 2019, the Episcopal Conference of Sicily titled it a regional sanctuary.

Atop the dome is a gilded bronze statue of the Madonna in rings with rays, by Francesco Caldarella. The square altar with a bronze base, has four panels depicting scenes from the Apocalyptic visions of the Book of Revelation. The inscription quotes St Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Cristo ha amato la Chiesa e ha dato se stesso per lei.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_delle_Lacrime,_Siracusa

Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which ... (show quote)

Good set Mark, I'm glad you posted these photos.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Wonderful variety, Mark!

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

DJphoto wrote:

Good set Mark, I'm glad you posted these photos.

Thanks very much Dennis. Glad you liked them.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

UTMike wrote:

Wonderful variety, Mark!

Thanks very much Mike.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I like this set very much, Mark.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

kpmac wrote:

I like this set very much, Mark.

That pleases me greatly Ken. Thanks very much!

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Nice city scenes again, Mark.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

jaymatt wrote:

Nice city scenes again, Mark.

Thanks very much John.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

srfmhg wrote:

Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which didn't fit the prior posts. Our next stop will be Noto.

The first image is the Basilica of Our Lady of Tears which we didn't get a chance to visit. The history is interesting nonetheless, and it's very different from the ancient churches throughout Italy, so I've included it here.

The Basilica of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of the Tears), also called Madonnina delle Lacrime is a 20th-century Roman Catholic Marian shrine church in Siracusa in Sicily, Italy. The modern building, derided by some as an inverted ice-cream cone, dominates the skyline of the approach to Ortigia.

Description
An international competition was held to design the church, and the design by Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat was selected. The main engineer for construction was Riccardo Morandi. Construction of the shrine began in 1966, but was only complete by 1994. During construction, the foundations were found to contain a crypt, likely a paleo-christian mausoleum, now in the inferior rooms of the church. The building initially was planned to be larger, but at 103 meters high, it was truncated some 30 meters. The church is adjacent to the Catacombs of San Giovanni and the Basilica of San Marziano.

The construction and design of the sanctuary was highly controversial. There are various interpretations of the design, including that it is meant to suggest a giant teardrop impacting the earth. The construction atop an archeologic site required special permission. Others objected to the construction of such a pretentious structure to honor the putative miracle, occurring from August 29 to September 1, 1953, when a plaster icon of the Madonna of the Immaculate Heart was claimed to have shed tears for an indigent local couple, including a fisherman husband. The event was putatively observed by crowds and included even sampling of the chemistry of fluids. The icon was subsequently moved from their abode in via degli Orti here.

The first stone for construction was consecrated in 1954. In 2002 Pope John Paul II elevated the sanctuary to the status of a minor basilica. In 2019, the Episcopal Conference of Sicily titled it a regional sanctuary.

Atop the dome is a gilded bronze statue of the Madonna in rings with rays, by Francesco Caldarella. The square altar with a bronze base, has four panels depicting scenes from the Apocalyptic visions of the Book of Revelation. The inscription quotes St Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Cristo ha amato la Chiesa e ha dato se stesso per lei.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_delle_Lacrime,_Siracusa

Here's a final group of images from Ortigia which ... (show quote)

Great set!!! Mark

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Wonderful finale set, Mark. Beautifully done. Loved seeing the contemporary Basilica structure.

Irvingite Charles Loc: Irving, Tx

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Good stuff, as usual!

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Manglesphoto wrote:

Great set!!! Mark

Thanks very much Frank.