There are two annual celebrations at the port of Monopoli dedicated to the Madonna della Madia. The Byzantine Icon, now kept in the Cathedral Basilica, is said by tradition to have arrived in the Old Port of Monopoli at dawn on December 16, 1117. The image of the Virgin Odeghetria, which had set out from the distant East, reached the shore aboard a raft whose shape resembled a “madia,” the wooden kneading trough used to make bread and pasta. Hence its name.

At that time, Bishop Romualdo was building the Romanesque basilica dedicated to Saint Mercurius and had prayed to the Madonna to help him find the wood needed to complete the trussed roof. The Virgin’s arrival aboard the raft was therefore considered miraculous: it was made up of 33 Aleppo pine beams (still well preserved and visible today in the first chapel on the right), which were used to construct the roof of the new cathedral, later dedicated to the Madonna della Madia, Protectress of Monopoli.

Every year, at 5:00 a.m. on December 16, the port of Monopoli fills with thousands of faithful who brave the cold, wind, and sometimes even snow to welcome the Byzantine icon of the Virgin as it arrives from the sea aboard a raft. It is a deeply evocative moment, framed by fireworks and traditional fishing boats that surround the raft in a symbolic embrace. The Bishop greets the Protectress of Monopoli with incense, after which she is carried in solemn procession to her Baroque cathedral by all the city’s confraternities, local authorities, countless faithful, and the unmistakable notes of the town band.

The reenactment of the miraculous landing is repeated on the evening of August 14 as well. This tradition originally began to allow the many people from Monopoli who had emigrated abroad for work to pay homage to their Protectress during their return home for the summer holidays. The celebrations in honor of the Madonna della Madia begin at midnight on July 31 with the opening of the Marian month of August, marked by numerous events and initiatives.