The story of Our Lady of Pancheraccia:
On the eastern side of Corsica you will find this small shrine, dating from the 18th century. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a girl who had become lost and was very thirsty. Mary made a hole the ground and a source of water trickled out. Then she asked the child to have the people build a chapel there. When child protested that the people in town would not believe her, the Blessed Mother responded: “As proof, here is an indelible sign of the cross on your hand, and within a year, you will have left this world“.
The spring proved miraculous and Our Lady of Pancheraccia became in the eyes of many the “Lourdes of Corsica.” Pilgrims come to the shrine in greater numbers each year. The most important annual pilgrimage takes place every September 8th, for the Nativity of Our Lady.
Time verified this prophecy. The village of Pancheraccia only had two hundred souls, but all went to work: the woods were cleared, the rocky ground leveled, and a chapel built in honor of the Madonna of Pancheraccia. Around 1850, the old statue was replaced by another in white marble, the one the faithful come to venerate today. The new statue represents the Madonna and Child: the Blessed Virgin, standing and carrying on her left arm the Child Jesus who holds the world in his hands.”
Traveling to Pancheraccia:
The Pancheraccia Chapel is on the eastern side of the island. The chapel is very small and Located on the top of a hill, so you may need to park below.
There is no website or other contact information available, but it is open most days.
