The complex of Grotta dei Santi is a rocky site in the territory of Licodia Eubea, and 6 Km from Monterosso Almo. This area was initially used as a necropolis for the inhabitants of the area with tombs placed both inside and outside the cavity. In the 6th century A.D. the site was transformed into an oratory for the worship of a small community. These territories were abandoned in the mid-400s.
There are several caves: some were used as catacombs and others in different ways. We can find frescoes of simple scenes painted by the piety of the congregation. Among the frescoed subjects there are San Michele and the Madonna and Child Enthroned. The miracle of New Year’s Eve is also represented with the saint who in the cave fights against the infernal dragon, a symbol of idolatry. The last of the caves is the most interesting and was used as a church, and in it we can find one of the most important frescoes, “the crucifixion”, dating back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Christ is flanked on one side by the Madonna and on the right side by Saint John with his head bent. Under the crucifix there is Longinus piercing the side of Jesus, while at the top there is both the sun and the moon.
At a lower level than the plateau of the caves there are the Dieri, some rocky areas which in the past were used as dwellings.
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