Sanctuary of Holy Mary at the Sea - Via Gennaro Naso

Grande struttura a tre navate, con ampi portali. Il nome, ben logico per una chiesa posta a pochi metri dal mare in un paese in cui molti abitanti erano dediti alla pesca, in realtà deriva dal fatto che fin troppo spesso antiche leggende narrano di statue raffigurante Maria, con o senza il Bambino, ripescate dal mare da pescatori o ritrovate semi sepolte su una spiaggia.

Bella chiesa e poi sono uscito e ho ammirato il tramonto

Un santuario sulla spiaggia!! È bellissimo, ben curato e si trova a Marina di Castellabate che è curatissima e che davvero lascia senza parole! Il Santuario è sempre aperto perché è la parrocchia locale e si può sempre fare una preghiera.

In questa cittadina, a volte sembra essere nella scenografia di un teatro. Così questo santuario sul mare. Da visitare, magari prendendosi un momento di raccoglimento personale.

Bellissimo santuario dove si trova la statua di santa Maria a Mare. Quest'anno ho avuto la fortuna di assistere alla processione che ricorda la ricorrenza,di circa 2 secoli fa ,quando i marinai di Minori portarono la Madonna a Castellabate...davvero suggestiva.

Wonderful ear sea full of fish, sand beach

The sanctuary Santa Maria a Mare (Holy Mary at the Sea) was formerly called Santa Maria "near the shore of the sea" and it is known as early as 1102, so it comes before the settlement of the hamlet and although with considerable transformations it is located in the same place where it was first built. With the notarial deed of 8 August 1826 the local families assumed the burden of building the new church. The decision to dedicate the sanctuary is due to the fact that at that time among the locals there were numerous families who arrived from Maiori with the eighteenth-century emigration. The latter brought with them the devotion to the Holy Mary at the Sea (santa Maria a Mare of Maiori), to whom they had also entitled the collegiate of their native village. Construction work ended in 1836 when the new church was solemnly blessed. In 1911 it was recognized as an independent parish. In 1985, due to the damage of the earthquake of 1980, the sanctuary was closed for restoration until June 4, 1990. On 25 October 2007 the church of Santa Maria a Mare was elevated to a diocesan Marian shrine. The structure consists of three naves divided by pillars and has a hexagonal bell tower that distinguishes the landscape of Marina Piccola. At the center of the apse stands the statue of Santa Maria a Mare, patron saint of the village. In 2017 the restoration was completed in the abbey of Cava De 'Tirreni of the statue of Santa Maria a Mare and returned to the church of the same name. Every August 15th of the year, the religious and patronal feast of Santa Maria a Mare, patron saint and patron of the city, is held. There is an inscription in relief at the front "Santuario Santa Maria a Mare" and the door of the central nave in bronze, in which are depicted in relief the image of Santa Maria a Mare and some events that have distinguished the story: the coronation at St. Peter's Square in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI, the pilgrimage to Maiori by sea and the arrival in the Sanctuary of the relics of St. Therese.

A small, charming Catholic church built right on Santa Maria Di Castellabate's beach. Being or not religious, anyone is welcome to attend a mass or simply to have a quiet, introspective break in its modest but beautiful interior. The bell ringing at each mass hour helps to preserve the small town tradition even during the busy summer days.