The Virgin with the Letter

Soon after the death of Jesus Christ, the Virgin, the legend says, received a delegation from the town of Messina. She was mourning and they wanted to express their condoleances. In return, she sent back a letter blessing the whole town. That’s what you can still read underneath the statue facing Messina, right in the middle of the harbor. Other Italian towns have saints as their protectors. But Messina went as high as it could, straight to the Virgin Mary.