Something about Villamar (Sardinia)
According to a legend, the statue of the Madonna, revered in Villamar, was supposedly found centuries ago inside a floating chest in the Gulf of Cagliari, likely by fishermen or sailors. The statue was entrusted to the religious authorities and intended for the convent in Pauli Arbarei.
During its journey, the statue made several stops, first at the parish of San Giovanni Battista in Villamar, and then at various points along the route. It is said that the oxen pulling the cart stopped three times: once near the Church of San Pietro, another time at the foot of a hill now known as "Hill of the Madonna d'Itria" (where a commemorative cross can still be seen), and finally just before the border with Pauli Arbarei. At this last stop, despite several attempts, the animals refused to move.
Interpreting the event as a divine sign, the people of Villamar decided to keep the statue and built a small church at the site where the oxen had stopped for good, dedicating it to the Madonna d'Itria.
The statue, dating back to the early 1600s, is made of gilded and decorated wood, and is kept in the parish of San Giovanni Battista, where it occupies a chapel. During the festival in her honor, the statue is displayed on a decorated cart and adorned with jewels offered by the faithful as a token of gratitude for the graces received.
A particularly mysterious detail concerns her earrings, which sometimes seem to move inexplicably. Popular tradition interprets this phenomenon as a sign that the Madonna is granting blessings to her devotees.
