Santuario della Madonna delle Lacrime

Syracuse


Supposedly modelled on the shape of a tear drop, the 102m-high spire of this church dominates modern Syracuse's skyline. The church itself houses a statue of the Virgin Mary that allegedly wept for four days in 1953 and bestowed more than 300 miraculous cures; a room full of ex-voti (votives) – among them crutches – testify to the Virgin's healing powers. The sanctuary's lower floor houses the Museo della Lacrimazione (Museum of the Lacrymation), a small, underwhelming museum summarising the 1953 event.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Syracuse attractions

1. Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi

0.13 MILES

Located about 500m east of the archaeological park, Syracuse's archaeological museum claims one of Sicily's largest and most interesting collections of…

2. Basilica & Catacombe di San Giovanni

0.18 MILES

The city's most extensive catacombs lie beneath the Basilica di San Giovanni, itself a pretty, truncated church that served as the city's cathedral in the…

4. Anfiteatro Romano

0.37 MILES

This 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre was originally used for gladiatorial combats and horse races.

6. Parco Archeologico della Neapolis

0.45 MILES

For the classicist, Syracuse's real attraction is this archaeological park, home to the pearly Teatro Greco. Constructed in the 5th century BC and rebuilt…

7. Ara di Gerone II

0.47 MILES

West of the Roman amphitheatre is the 3rd-century-BC Ara di Gerone II. This monolithic sacrificial altar was a kind of giant abattoir where 450 oxen could…

8. Latomia del Paradiso

0.49 MILES

It was out of this deep, precipitous limestone quarry that stone for the ancient city was extracted. Riddled with catacombs and filled with citrus and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "italy/sicily/syracuse/attractions/santuario-della-madonna-delle-lacrime/a/poi-sig/471860/360014",
      "destination": "Syracuse",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Sicily",
      "city": "Syracuse",
      "position": "superzone"
    }