The Monte della Madonna and the Castle

At the top of the mountain symbol of the town, there are the remains of the ancient Castle named after the paladin Orlando. Its construction dates back to the medieval period, but took on greater importance from 1598 when San Cono appeared to the guardians, the Raffa brothers, who resided in its high tower to leave the precious simulacrum of the Madonna there. Since then the Castle, which had previously gone into ruins due to a fifteenth-century siege, has seen new life with the construction of the Sanctuary and with the creation in its rooms of areas reserved for pilgrims. Over the centuries, however, this building, which extended over the entire summit plateau of the mountain, has suffered extensive damage due to earthquakes and landslides that have gradually affected it. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the remains of the Castle, such as the Sanctuary and the whole Mount, have been owned by the Episcopal Curia of Patti.