Still it belongs to the diocese of Montecassino. The cult of a miracle-working Madonna in it practiced, spread among the rural populations of the western arc of the Poro and together with that of Santa Maria de Latinis was opposed to that of a Madonna of the greek rite followers: Our Lady of Romania. Soon after the advent Norman the hermit of Santa Menna on which was built the basilica, gave way to the Latinization of Tropea.
The new Norman dynasty brought many changes to the basilica "Norman dukes Sichelgaita and his son Roger Borsa"
Indeed all the documents reviewed, tell of a church probably of great importance that will undoubtedly administered substantial assets. Actually a legend has it that in ancient times a ship from the Orient landed on the islet of Tropea and no longer the wide shots until the wooden statue of the Virgin was not landed.
Effigge miraculous placed in a cave then translated into an underground cavern on which the basilica was born. However, the miraculous statue were untraceable. Also no graphics dating and the difficulty in finding carryover study material faithfully as alleged by local scholars on the Basilica, a continuum of reconstructions:
Originally it was built a church in a square shape with a central space surrounded by peribolus barrel-vaulted, delimited by the central compartment by pillars and arches ashlar tuff. The peribolus remain intact on one side and most of the second. These two sides are now clearly visible and in the attached plan (note: there is no attached plan) are marked in bold. I am still unscathed even the barrel vaults in the pillared area marked in bold. In the other two sides they have not been made of the wise. It has not done the bare floor to search for any traces underground.
It was operated on a remake of the same building with modifications and additions, which are visible in the detachment of some wall areas.
In the Gothic period, the building was restored and adapted by building environments with vaulted Gothic Cruise costolana. There remains a semicrociera in the compartment between the Altar, the Cistern and the terminal part of the original building marked in bold. These works followed a temple consecration as indicated by an inscription still in place: Anno Domini MCCCLXXXXVII XXIII mensis aprilis indictione fifth consecrata est ecclesia Sanctae Mariae de Insula de Tropea. Concern this age some sepulchral sculptures preserved although not in terms of integrity.
A few centuries later, the building underwent a radical transformation. It was gutted in the middle. There were added to the pillars and arches with barrel vault. The interior took the form of small basilica with irregularities due to the conservation of saveable parts of the original building. The exterior took the appearance of a parallelepiped surmounted by the vault of the central nave with the top surface of the closet, oddly Arabic effect.
Towards the end of the seventeenth century there was added a porch, in part indicated by the attached plan with the Sacristy endorsements, Porch, Storage and space behind the deposit. This addition gave the opportunity to build in the upper floor a series of small rooms for the hermits dwelling.
Later the porch was partially eliminated walling arches that are still detectable in the masonry. They remained open only three. On the one hand there is derived the sacristy, on the other hand the deposit. At the bottom of a door opened, he gutted the terminal wall of the nave and the right aisle and reached the church plant.
In 1810 there were in the garden, in the northern part of the building other rooms that were later removed without leaving visible traces.
After the earthquake of 1905 it was rebuilt the whole facade that had suffered the collapse of the central arch of the portico, giving it the appearance certainly not happy maintaining the period. Today the church, houses the statues of the Holy Family (currently installed at the church of the Rosary), carried in procession into the sea every August 15. To reach the church has three naves is currently accessed by a steep staircase carved into the tuff, but first you could scramble across the rocks on the island Bella. On the way it was still possible to admire a church dedicated to San Leonardo but was used by fishermen to keep their tools. Also a beautiful museum preserves the secrets of the Sanctuary.Reopened for worship after 9 years, the church of Santa Maria Island is located on a beautiful island that is recognized as a symbol of Tropea, famous tourist resorts of the Tyrrhenian Calabria.
Probably because in the past the island was separated from the mainland had become a destination for intrepid hermits, then as a result of the 1783 earthquake and tidal wave emerged from it the island of Santa Maria was aligned all'arenile Tropeano.
Church on the island which has recently been reopened for worship much to say, immersed in the typical Mediterranean vegetation accompanied by flower beds and benches where you can refresh and enjoy spectacular views, stands the majestic basilica built by the Benedictines.
The church Santa Maria de Tropea, cum omnibus suis pertinentiis appeared "in the list of the Badia Cassinese addictions" written on the panels of the bronze door (merged by the way to Constantinople) for commission of the abbot of Montecassino Desiderio.
Already in 1066, when it was merged the bronze door of the Badia Cassinese the island appears mentioned.