Mileto - Santuario S. Maria della Cattolica

According to tradition, Mileto was founded by Greek refugees from Miletus in Anatolia, which had been destroyed by Darius.

Mileto was a Norman fortress under Roger I of Sicily. He died here of old age in 1101. Roger's son Simon died in the city in 1105 when he was 12 years old. Simon's brother and successor Roger II was born here in 1095. He began his reign as Count of Sicily in 1105, becoming the first King of Sicily in 1130.

The ancient Norman capital was destroyed in the earthquake of 1783, which leveled the whole of Mileto to the ground.
The construction of the Sanctuary of Maria SS. della Cattolica dates back to the end of the 17th century, to the years following the earthquake that forced the inhabitants to abandon the old Norman capital and build a new town two kilometers away. In the early years, the building was also used as a cathedral. The bell was built in the mid-20th century and is by now under reconstruction.