Legend holds that a ship returning from the East, carrying an image of the Madonna hidden in its hold (to save it from iconoclastic persecution), was prevented from continuing its journey by a sudden storm, took refuge in the bay of present-day Marinello, and was able to move, only upon unloading the simulacrum of the Virgin. The inscription reads: “nigro sum sed formosa” (‘black am I, but beautiful’). Pity about that “but”! It seems to pre-date the Black is Beautiful movement by centuries… A group of New York Italian American intellectuals and artists have recently reclaimed and repurposed the Black Madonna of Tindari for a new generation (The Black Madonna of East 13th Street: https://www.facebook.com/groups/358952077516884) Please copy and paste this link for more information.