Staiti, Calabria, Italy
Set among the Aspromonte mountains, Staiti is an ancient Byzantine village as evidenced by the Greek linguistic heritage present in the dialect of the inhabitants and in the numerous archaeological finds found on site.
Among the most evocative places there is undoubtedly the abbey of Santa Maria de' Tridetti, a Byzantine monument from the 11th century. It is a very particular temple that combines various styles: Arabic, Byzantine and Norman.
A legend has it that once upon a time in the same area there stood a small temple built by Greek colonists from nearby Locri in the 5th-6th century BC. C., built in honor of the god Neptune. A sign of thanks for saving them from a storm.
According to the story, his statue had been covered by a precious jeweled cloak, which was then stolen by Hannibal during his stay on the Ionian coast of Calabria. The aim was to punish the Locrians, allies of Rome.
As evidence of this, a coin depicting the god of the sea was also found in the current church.
Centuries later, the Basilian monks coming from West Asia took possession of the structure between the 7th and 8th centuries, transforming it into a Greek church in honor of the Madonna of the Trident (an allusion to the divinity of the sea), which later became Tridetti. According to a different etymological interpretation, however, the word could derive from the Greek tridactilon (three fingers) to indicate the blessing Child in the arms of the Virgin.
Photos by @vincenzoarmonio, @alessandra_moscatello, @marinella.misuraca, @tripodi.ph, @florentdelion, @emiolo84, @palamaradomenica
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