St. Rosalia in Her Cave on Monte Pellegrino

Church of San Giovanni dei Ermiti, Palermo, Sicily

This sculpture follows one of the iconographic types associated with St. Rosalia, in which she lies in a cave opening barely large enough to accommodate her, contentedly meditating with her crucifix and skull. The flowers and her garland of roses are, according to the legend, gifts from the Virgin and Child. The book, not mentioned in the legend, perhaps signifies her persistence in prolixis orationibus, "extensive prayers."

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Photographed at the site by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.