Every time I left my hometown to go to the University of Pisa or to the Lateran University of Rome, when the train arrived in Messina and entered the ferry, I went up to the deck to look at the sea and the opposite coasts of Sicily and Calabria.
At the end of the port of Messina, the statue of Our Lady of the Letter stands on a tall column. I consider it as the symbol of the entrance gate to Sicily just as the Statue of Liberty is to America
When I crossed the Straits of Messina from Sicily, I had a feeling that leaving my home island distanced me from the problems and difficulties I had encountered in my hometown. It was as if I emerged from a prison and a new and free world unfolded before my eyes. Nevertheless, it was just an illusion. My inner world was the same and remained unchanged, both in Sicily and outside. Later, when I would return to Sicily I would salute the statue of Our Lady of the Letter for welcoming me back.
Our Lady of the Letter is the patron saint of the city of Messina. Many people from Messina are called Letterio, if they are males, or Letteria, if they are females, in honor of Our Lady of the Letter. I remember that a classmate of mine was from Messina and was named Letterio.
According to tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, sent a letter to the citizens of Messina, which she rolled up and tied with a lock of her hair. In the letter, she blessed and thanked the people of Messina for their faith in Jesus, and promised that she would protect the city forever.
The lock of Mary’s hair is still kept in the Cathedral, while the original letter was lost. The citizen of Messina celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Letter every year on June 3.
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)
– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)
– Travels of the Mind (English edition)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)
Ettore Grillo's Blog and Books 