In the Sanctuary of the Basilica, the 'Annibale Di Francia' Museum was inaugurated in 2000, on the occasion of the Holy Year. Its uniqueness lies in the 1:2 scale reconstruction of the entire 'Avignon Quarter', as St. Hannibal saw it during his first visit to the poor inhabitants, nicknamed 'mignuri'. The museum, built over two years based on plans by Livio Lucà Trombetta, presents the figure and work of the well-known priest from Messina. Welcoming visitors at the beginning of the exhibition route is the pulpit, which was already present in the shrine before its renovation in 1976. The entrance corridor of the museum also houses drawings by architect Antonio Favaloro, who, as an eyewitness, faithfully reproduced the structure and topography of the district. Among the works on display is a 17th century marble statue of the Madonna delle Grazie by Roman sculptor Vincenzo Tedeschi, which was transported to the Church of the Assumption near the Zaèra stream after the 1783 earthquake.
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