Santuario di San Francesco di Paola

Calabria

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Watched over by a crumbling castle, the Santuario di San Francesco di Paola is a curious, empty cave with tremendous significance to the devout. The saint lived and died in Paola in the 15th century and the sanctuary that he and his followers carved out of the bare rock has attracted pilgrims for centuries. The cloister is surrounded by naive wall paintings depicting the saint’s truly incredible miracles. The original church contains an ornate reliquary of the saint.

Also within the complex is a modern basilica, built to mark the second millennium. Black-clad monks hurry about.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Castle

    Castle

    12.68 MILES

    Cosenza's doughty castle, begun by the Saracens, augmented by the Normans and left in disarray by several earthquakes, has benefited from extensive…

  • Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri

    Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri

    12.81 MILES

    This archaeological museum displays finds from the Bronze Age Enotri culture, and the Brettii people who founded Cosenza in the 4th century BC. The…

  • Galleria Nazionale

    Galleria Nazionale

    12.76 MILES

    This gallery focuses on southern Italian painting from the 16th century to the present day, including Renaissance-baroque works from the Neapolitan school…

  • Cathedral

    Cathedral

    12.72 MILES

    Cosenza's 12th-century cathedral, devastated by earthquakes, was rebuilt in restrained baroque style in the 18th century. In a chapel off the north aisle…

  • Teatro Rendano

    Teatro Rendano

    12.86 MILES

    Built in the late 19th century, the Rendano is a leading Calabrian venue for opera and classical music.

View more attractions

Nearby Calabria attractions

1. Castle

12.68 MILES

Cosenza's doughty castle, begun by the Saracens, augmented by the Normans and left in disarray by several earthquakes, has benefited from extensive…

2. Cathedral

12.72 MILES

Cosenza's 12th-century cathedral, devastated by earthquakes, was rebuilt in restrained baroque style in the 18th century. In a chapel off the north aisle…

3. Galleria Nazionale

12.76 MILES

This gallery focuses on southern Italian painting from the 16th century to the present day, including Renaissance-baroque works from the Neapolitan school…

4. Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri

12.81 MILES

This archaeological museum displays finds from the Bronze Age Enotri culture, and the Brettii people who founded Cosenza in the 4th century BC. The…

5. Teatro Rendano

12.86 MILES

Built in the late 19th century, the Rendano is a leading Calabrian venue for opera and classical music.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "italy/northern-tyrrhenian-coast/attractions/santuario-di-san-francesco-di-paola/a/poi-sig/1139708/1320257",
  "destination": "Calabria",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Calabria",
  "position": "superzone"
}