Church of Maria SS. del Leandro
Descrizione

In Motta San Giovanni, in the Oleander district about four kilometres from the town centre, it is possible to visit the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima del Leandro.
The documentary evidence available is inclined to consider the place a sixteenth-century centre dedicated to the Byzantine religion.
It seems that back then the Greek rite was celebrated and that on the 15th. of August a grand feast day was held in honour of the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption.
Principal works of art
Housed inside the sanctuary and of particular value are the following works of art: a marble statue of the Virgin of the Assumption and Child, two truncated columns dating back to the Byzantine-Norman period, a painting of the Madonna of Leandro and a holy water font dated 1667.
Outside the church stand remains of the ancient Byzantine monastery of Santa Maria di Campo. The sanctuary is now a destination for pilgrims, especially for the faithful who flock to the church on the feast of the assumption yearly, on the 15th of August.





