Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, venerated under the title glorious Madonna della Catena, originated in Sicily, in Palermo, at the end of the fourteenth century, they are talking about a prodigy known as the historical and Pirri Mongitore in their writings.
reigning in Sicily, the young King Martin who once had married Queen Maria of Aragon and had the Government of the Big Island from 1391 to 1409, were sentenced to death three in Palermo unhappy youth. The story does not make the name. They had already started at the big square of the marina where the tragic execution was to take place, when the Blessed Virgin, and because they were innocent or because they had resorted to her, came to their aid.
in the sky before a storm arose suddenly peaceful so scary with the wind and rainfall, the people rushed, cleared in an instant, the guards with the executioners had to take refuge in a church, known as S. Maria del Porto, waiting ended the storm. Instead the storm lasted all day so it was clear defer to the next day and the guards with gl'imputati spend the night in quell'Oratorio.
A better guard the prisoners were doubled their chains and closed its doors with greater caution, but this was not sufficient to confirm that the miracle. The guards made sure of them soon left to sleep, but not so those poor unfortunates who trascinatisi with chains at the feet of the Virgin, who is venerated in quell'Oratorio, pleaded with the good Mother to come to their aid, promising that they would always to be made good use of freedom and life. While they stood
so full of confidence praying, the chains spontaneously broke up and fell to the ground without a sound.
comforted by the words they seemed to hear the holy image of Our Lady: "Get well in freedom and not fear anything, I hold that the Divine Child in her arms, has already accepted your prayers and has given you life," Chet away.
sunrise, the guards, svegliatesi, saw chains broken without the condemned. Then immediately ran to the city soon found them and wanted to lead them to the gallows, but the people informed by prodigy says he wanted to see the king.
These would immediately that they were acquitted and set free those who had graced the Heavenly Virgin. Indeed he with his royal bride went to the Shrine of Mary, to see with their own eyes the trophy of the great miracle that the fame had already spread throughout the city.
From that day there was a continual pilgrimage to that shrine, which became an inexhaustible source of health and comfort and was called the sanctuary of the Madonna della Catena.
Devotion to the Virgin of the chain spread rapidly in and out of Sicily, as in Calabria, Basilicata and in the Naples area.
At the Shrine, rebuilt and enlarged by the munificence and piety of that King Martin I, in 1500 made his first visit and humiliated her real crown Queen Joanna of Naples.
that most sacred image the famous Viceroy Francesco di Sicilia Conzago ascribed to be released unharmed by the many dangers on the battlefield. Not to mention that many of those that arrived in Palermo, I stared at his residence, even for healthy living in the shadow of the Madonna della Catena. It should be remembered, among others, the mother of the Servant of God Sister Jerome Messina, tertiary strict adherence of S. Francis, who came in 1540 in Palermo, he refused to depart. Many municipalities
elected it as their patron saint, many parishes in respect of their churches. A
Roccalumera devotion developed in the last decade of the 1800s when the population of the district "Ficara" had the joy of having in 1893 the church and to dedicate Our Lady of the Chain.
The veneration of the Madonna della Catena was already felt by the faithful, because the valley of Chiodaro Mongiuffi Melia of the Archdiocese of Messina there was already a shrine of Our Lady of the chain that drew many people of Messina and Catania.
THE OLD CHURCH 
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the inhabitants of this district, said in dialect "U'Bagghiu, use them for their religious life of a church patron saint, the church of SS. Crucifix, an official from the University of manifolds Pagliara, dell'Archimandrita under the jurisdiction of the SS. Salvatore Messina.
They felt, however, the need to have their own church, and laid the foundation stone on land donated by Mr. Orazio Mastroeni on Sunday, gave substance to their aspirations at the beginning of 1865. Mastroeni
The same was done for promoting the first collection of money. The funds, in fact very modest, were only made by the faithful. On holidays a select committee collected the offerings of the faithful and was forming a fund cash; reached some availability of money is called a bricklayer until the exhaustion of reserves, they worked at intervals and not continuously. The workers were local
: Santoro Onofrio, Mastro Antonio Cassano, who directed the work. The coverage of the ceiling was made with a large tree trunk, laid on the tables with tiles.
It took 28 years for its implementation until 1893, when the temple was completed in a rectangular shape and could be open for worship.
The date is engraved on the item placed wooden architrave to cover the entrance of the church. It was for the locals "Ficara" a commitment to faith and honor. The idea of \u200b\u200b
to dedicate a church to Our Lady of the Chain was constantly nourished in the souls of the faithful. Before completing the work, the committee composed of. Agatino Scarcella, Gaetano Tricomi, Luigi Scordo, Domenico Caminiti and Don Philip Andronicus, commissioned the sculptor Francesco Lo Turkish, with the consent of the Archbishop of Messina, a statue similar to that of the Madonna della Catena Mongiuffi. The Turkish
I immediately began to work, full of enthusiasm, delivering it even when the church was free to finish, so it was necessary to place it in the church of SS. Crucified. No written
was found in the parish for the inauguration, but we can imagine the celebration and joy procession of all in bringing the statue of the Virgin Mary Chain from the chapel of the Crucifix to the new church.
Since then, the devotion to Our Lady of the Chain has been growing in people's minds, that in all circumstances, happy or sad life, it always turns "on Matri Catina.
For 37 years the community of "Ficara" grew around this church growing in faith, inspired by the Sisters of the canonical Francesco Maria Di Francia, the clergy of alum, LOCAD, Pagliara, Furci.
THE NEW CHURCH 
The neighborhood became slowly developed, hence the need for a larger church. Providence came to the rescue through the efforts of a young priest, Father Carmelo Sacca, who came to Roccalumera in December of 1929, which was quickly to be done to build a temple larger and more responsive to the development of the country, with the decisive support and involvement of Archbishop Angelo Paino.
The project carried out by Ing. John Crinò was approved on 11 .1.1932 by the Ministry of Works Public. The act of acquiring the land (630 square meters at a price of £ 12,270) belonging to the Cav. Francesco Orazio Mastroeni was 8 .8.1933 was written and recorded in the Messina 08/23/1933 No 671, vol. 333, f. 16.
Work Undertaking of St. Francis Rigano Teresa di Riva, under the direction of Ing. Barbaro Technical Office of the Curia of Messina were completed on 30.6.1937.
The inauguration and blessing of the Church, completely renovated, there was the August 8, 1937 in the presence of Archbishop Angelo Paino with the celebration of the first Mass of Bishop Alfredo Giuseppe Scarcella, first expressed by the parish priest with the speech of 'At the ch.mo prof. Sac. Caudo Vincent, director of the diocesan weekly: The Spark.
The new church stands on the site of the old church of the nineteenth century is presented: *
a temple of a Latin cross;
* a coffered ceiling with rosettes in the center;
* the stucco Salvatore Maccarrone Furci Siculus;
* a statement where it is highlighted the image of the Virgin Mary Chain
set in a stained glass company MF Messina;
* and even a mosaic depicting the effigy of the Madonna della Catena
above the portal.
Following the liturgical reform, Saccà father renovated the area of \u200b\u200bthe sanctuary with the altar "coram" and year of the Lord 1975, the 10th day of June, in the presence of the faithful and official witnesses Archbishop Giuseppe Scarcella Vic. Gen., father Carmelo Saccà parish priest, Father Gaetano Murolo, pastor of the parish of Mount Caramel and the young Vincent Roccalumera Saccà, the church was consecrated the main altar, enclosing the relics of holy martyrs Placido, Fazio and Flavia, by his Exc . za Mgr. Francesco Fasola, Archbishop of Messina, choosing and fixing for ever as the holder of the Church of Maria SS. Chain.
The master of ceremonies Msgr. James Meo was the archbishop's duties of the Registrar.
Every year on the first Sunday in September, the Madonna della Catena, patron saint of the parish, is celebrated with many solemn Mass and procession calling the faithful of the whole Ionian coast. The festival is preceded by a novena very participatory.
ART
entering you can see:
· in the ceiling of the transept a prospective cross painted by the artist Salvatore Messina;
· the altar on which stands in a niche in the Madonna della Catena, polychrome marble, offered by Mr. Giovanni di Orazio Mastroeni to thank Our Lady for the healing of his son Orazio obtained;
· the marble side altars bardiglio, donated by the families of the cav. Francesco Pietro Mastroeni and notary Myron;
• The chandelier donated by Ing. John Tricomi was Christmas.
include:
1. On the right wall - The painting of Our (1940-41), Mario Barberis executed in Rome, offered by the fam. Scordo;
- The picture of Our Lady of Pompeii always works of prof. Mario Barberis, donated by Mrs Myron in Santa Mastroeni;
- The painting on canvas raff. The Virgin of the chain runs in Caltagirone (1912) by the painter Mario Vaccaro:
- The canvas raff. S. Thérèse of Rosanna Florio Prestipino.
2. On the left wall
- The picture of S. Joseph Palermo of the painter Vivir (17/X/1937), donated in 1937 by Mr. James and D'Arrigo Brothers in memory of G. Parisi,
- The under P. Pio artist Pippo Foti's Gardens, donated by the fam. Fleres during the Jubilee of 2000;
- The altar referred to as the "S. Heart ", a gift from Philippa Fazio Tricomi, where the wooden statue figure of Jesus;
- The painting of the Madonna del Carmine, offered by Mr and Mrs Conrad and Mary Mastroeni Tricomi.
The temple is embellished with stained glass depicting:
* S. Peter the Apostle;
* S. Paul S.
* Giovanni Evangelista;
* Christ the King;
* Immaculate Heart of Mary *
an artistic work of the Via Crucis on plywood prof. Barberis, donated by
Francesca D'Elia. On December 12, 2004
was inaugurated the 15 th station "The Resurrection", a work in bronze of the artist Licinio Fazio, a gift of Caminiti-scale families.
With a dual action of the Region, to the interest of the parish priest Father Santino Caminiti, the first (1993) concerning the restructuring of the church exterior (roof and elevations), the second (2001) the internal restructuring of the church (adaptation to vehicle safety standards, painting of the whole church, floor systems, renovation of the altar), the church was restored and the area of \u200b\u200bthe renovated sanctuary, with the construction of compositional elements such as note: coram
· the altar;
· the pulpit;
· the baptismal font;
· the presidency.
On July 1, 2003 Rev.ma HE Archbishop Giovanni Marra, Archbishop of Messina Lipari S. Lucia del Mela and Archimandrite of the SS. Salvatore Messina, blessed the church and dedicated the altar "coram" of the parish church of St. Maria della Catena in Roccalumera (ME) by subscribing to the report, to be kept in perpetual memory in the parish and that of the Archbishop (Prot No 118/03/P ME, June 30, 2003).
Text and images (except the head) were taken from the site of the "Baglioficara.
