Notre Dame de la Serra

1479: foundation of the church of SantaMaria della Serra.

This is the entry in the inventory drawn up in 1731 by the bishop's chancery. So it's been 544 years since the Calvais placed their town under the protection of the Virgin Mary.

But why the name Notre-Dame de la Serra? In Corsican, "Serra "means mountain: hence the name Notre-Dame de la Serra, literally "Our Lady of the Mountain".

During the siege of Calvi in 1794, led by the powerful English fleet commanded by Admiral Hood, the chapel was severely damaged. It was restored to its present form in 1860, thanks to funding from the parish of Sainte-Marie.

Every year, on the occasion of the solemnity celebrated on the Sunday following September 8, the painting of the Virgin symbolically returns to its place for one day in this sanctuary, which it has occupied for centuries, never having been moved.

The procession departs from the church of Sainte-Marie-Majeure and makes its way to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de la Serra. By tradition, the painting is carried exclusively by women.