Madonna della Rocca Church in Taormina
The Church of the Madonna della Rocca, also known as the Church of Santa Maria della Rocca, is located on the steep mountain overlooking Taormina, on the top of which are the ruins of Castel Taormina, a medieval construction dating back to the Arab-Norman period. The small church of Santa Maria della Rocca is so called because it was built on the rock by exploiting the cave conformation of the rock, in fact part of its ceiling is made of the rock.
It was founded in 1640 by Abbot Francesco Raineri with the help of the archbishop of Messina Geronimo Venero and has a modest and rustic architecture. Next to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Rocca there is a small monastery, now disused, while on the side south-east there is an open space that was once the hermits' vegetable garden, located on the edge of the cliff on which the church is located where today stands a large cross in reinforced concrete.
