The origin of the Chapel is closely linked to the proclamation of Saint Roch as the principal Patron Saint of the town of Scilla. The year 1743 was the year of the last great plague that brought death and desolation throughout the Strait area. Scilla remained, once again, untouched even though Giuseppe Basta, then Governor of the Province, resided there. Forced to travel daily to Reggio for official duties, it was there that he contracted the plague in 1744. Having returned to Scilla, he died there. By burying his body in the crypt of the now vanished Church of the Most Holy Rosary, the plague was introduced within the boundaries of the town. Despite this, it did not spread. This miraculous event was attributed to the intercession of Saint Roch and prompted the people of Scilla to officially establish what had already been a reality for them for 250 years. In a document printed in Rome by the Camerale Printing House in 1745, Saint Roch was declared the principal Patron Saint of the town of Scilla and the rite of the feast was designated as “double of the first class with octave,” the highest rank that could be granted for the celebration of a saint’s feast day. To give visible form to this Patronage, a statue of Saint Roch was created, attributed to the Scillese Canon Giu-seppe Ingigneri, a skilled maker of nativity figures and author of the statues of Saint Joseph and Saint Fran-cis of Paola (in reality, the only certain attributions are those of the shepherds of the ancient nativity scene, through oral tradition, and of the statue of Saint Joseph, which bears the author’s signature “Ing” and the date 1750; however, since the three statues share identical characteristics in terms of materials, technique, structure and period, it is reasonable to attribute them to the same artist). The priest-artist took inspiration from the splendid wooden sculpture and created the statue of the Saint se-ated upon a rock, made of gessoed canvas, wood and plaster, with his gaze turned ecstatically and smilingly toward heaven. Because of this characteristic, the statue appeared smaller than the wooden one and led the people of Scilla to affectionately rename it Santa Rroccheddu. Every year, therefore, beginning in 1745, the seated statue of Saint Roch was transferred to the place symbo-lising the “Gate” of the town. It was in fact the point where the mule track descending from the Ruffo hunting park met, to the north, the mule track leading to the Melia highlands from the seaside part of the town, both converging into the road le-ading to the inhabited centre. Behind it stood the Capuchin Convent dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built at the end of the sixteenth century by the will of Princess Maria Ruffo on the family’s landed estates and, beginning in 1641, received an annual income of 160 ducats by the will of Princess Giovanna, daughter of Maria. After the Murattian suppression of 1809, the Convent was reopened in 1822. After the monks permanently left Scilla, part of the structure became a correctional prison from 1874 onwards. The church continued to function but, having been damaged together with the entire convent complex by the earthquake of 1908, it was never rebuilt. Near the entrance to the Convent, on the occasion of the aforementioned transfer, a shrine was erected using palm branches and various shrubs, and the statue was placed inside it. It remained there until the conclusion of the celebrations, when, after the Thanksgiving Mass, it was returned to the church. Through this transfer, the protection of the entire town was entrusted to the Saint, represented by the place considered its “Entrance Gate,” and by leaving the statue there throughout the days of the feast, which have always been the most important for Scilla, the vow extended to all the days of the year, renewing the covenant with Saint Roch so that he would continue to be the Protector of Scilla. As confirmation of this, holy cards and posters from the past bear the title Protector of Scilla, as he has always been regarded by the people of Scilla. On 16 November 1894 a strong earthquake struck. Scilla suffered only minor damage. The ribbed vault and upper part of the bell towers of the Mother Church collapsed, along with other minor structural failures, but nothing particularly serious occurred. The escape from danger having been attributed to the intercession of Saint Roch, a beautiful masonry Chapel was built in thanksgiving on the very spot where the annual shrine of shrubs had always been erected. It has always been known in the Scillese dialect as Cresiola, meaning little church. The canvas painting depicting Saint Roch does not date from 1894, but from 1945, and was painted in Rome at the expense of Mr. Rocco Macrì by his sister Raffaella, known as Fafa, who was an artist. The painting was restored for the first time in 1982 by Professor Demetrio Vakalis and a second time in 2021 by Professor Francesco Burzomato. In 1950, on the occasion of the Holy Year, the Chapel underwent extraordinary maintenance work. Access steps were built, the structure was repainted and, with the demolition of the Mother Church underway, the gate, previously absent, was installed; until then it had marked the entrance to the now vanished crypt. As a permanent reminder of these interventions, the letters A and S (Anno Santo – Holy Year) and the date 1950, made of iron and painted gold, were placed on the gate. Almost a century after its construction, however, urban development caused the structure to obstruct normal vehicular traffic. It was therefore decided to move it a few metres uphill. It was 1990 when the original structure was demoli-shed and an identical one, though slightly deeper, was built using all the original decorative tuff stone elements. It was later enriched by a mural painting created that same year by the Scillese artist Orazio Salvaguardia, depicting Saint Roch in Glory with the features of our wooden statue, surrounded by angels and with a beam of light directly connecting him to the patronal church, portrayed together with the entire town at the bottom of the painting. Completed in February 1990, it was inaugurated on 25 March. Holy Mass was celebrated, preceded and followed by performances by the town band, and concluded with a magnificent fireworks display. It was a day of faith, sharing and popular joy.
Dottor Rocco Panuccio
