The Sanctuary of the Island of Barbana in Grado

Slow Tour

1 May 2018

Slow Tour

The Sanctuary of the Island of Barbana in Grado

The small island of Barbana is located in the lagoon of Grado, 5 kilometres from the town. Its name probably derives from Barbano, a sixth-century hermit who lived in the area and who gathered a community of monks around him.

On this island, there has been a sanctuary since ad 582. When the city of Grado was threatened by a storm surge, at the end of the storm a statue of the Madonna was found on the island dragged by the waves (perhaps from Istria). Here Elia, the patriarch of Grado, had a sepulchre erected as thanksgiving for saving the town.

The island today has only the neo-Romanesque church, dating back to the early 1900s, and its bell tower, the chapel of the apparition and some buildings where the monks live (in addition to the “Mensa del Pellegrino”, a restaurant offering a set menu). The Sanctuary is a destination for pilgrimages and is open to parish groups for spiritual retreats but also for less “observant” retreats of 3-5 days in which participation is required only for mass. The Island of Barbana can be reached by a regular ferry service leaving from the Schiusa canal in Grado. The route through the middle of the lagoon is very pleasant, especially when you are about to arrive and the sanctuary stands out clearly in front of you, surrounded only by water.

Every year, on the first Sunday of July, the traditional El Perdòn de Barbana procession takes place, led by the Battella, the boat carrying the statue of the Madonna degli Angeli kept in the Basilica of Grado, followed by a procession of boats decorated with flags and hydrangeas.