The Church of the Madonna delle Timpe (“Timpa” in the Sciglianese dialect means “a very steep precipice”) was built in 1549 by a man named Telesio (probably a descendant of the famous philosopher) after having received a miracle from the Virgin Mary.

This is the story:

    One day, Telesio, while on horseback was coming home from a visit to his land, realizes that a group of bandits is following him. He desperately attempts to flee but finds a steep precipice along his path.

    Right then and there, he makes a solemn pledge to the Madonna: if after having jumped over the precipice both he and his horse are unharmed, he will build a church in honor of the Madonna. 

    Telesio and his horse make the jump, land in a stream below, completely uninjured. Now  that the bandits have been lost and he and his horse are safe, the grateful Telesio resolves to keep his promise. A slight change is made, however:  instead of building the church on the slanted terrain where the miracle actually took place, Telesio decides on a nearby site which is flatter and more adequate for construction. 

    As the building material is delivered each day, the workers find that it disappears by the next day. They discover that it has been “miraculously” moved to the original site. 

    After some doubt and inquiry, the populace agrees that it was yet another display of the Madonna’s doing; she wanted the church to be erected upon the original site. To make the church safe and resistant, a wide base was dug beneath it. 

    Today it is possible to visit the small church by taking a narrow country road. The feast is celebrated every second Sunday of August.

Webmaster Raffaele Pane

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