In May 1929, after a diocesan pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes, a famous Marian devotion center, the doctor from Pulsano, Egidio Delli Ponti (1880-1949), miraculously healed from a malignant tumor located in the carotid area. Upon his return, Delli Ponti had an exact replica of the grotto at Massabielle, the place where the Virgin Mary appeared to fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) in February 1858, built at his own expense at the end of the left nave of the mother church.
Since 1933, as a spontaneous remembrance of the grace, the faithful in Pulsano participate in the Pious Practice of the Fifteen Visits to the Madonna, which involves continuously going to the church of S. Maria La Nova from January 27 to February 10 to recite the Rosary, attend the Holy Mass, receive communion, and confess.
In 1947, following the heartfelt participation of the public, Archbishop Ferdinando Bernardi recognized the aforementioned church as a Diocesan Marian Sanctuary. Since then, every February 11, on the liturgical feast of the Madonna of Lourdes, Pulsano celebrates, and the historical center lights up with traditional illuminations and becomes lively with commercial stalls.
