The history of the sanctuary  is centuries old. Built in 1274, as asserted by Barillaro, on proposal of the Acquaformosa Abbey, it was extended between 1633 and 1646; destroyed by the earthquake of 1783 and rebuilt in 1834, it was restored at the end of the 8th century and then again extended from 1920 to 1929.
Other historical sources mention a dependence of the Pettoruto sanctuary from the cistercense “grancia” of the Acquaformosa Abbey since 1226; the “grancia” become “Commenda” in 1348 and then Concistorial in the XVII century.
It is at that time, that we may age some manuscripts such as that of the canon Cristofaro and that of the archpriest Cerbelli, who tell about the finding of the statue, carved by a fugitive from Altomonte, Nicola Mairo who, whilst living in the burning desire to have his innocence declared, engraved the statue as Our Lady appeared to him: suffused with a mystical and motherly smile and a wide soothing face which inspires maternal confidence.
The statue of the Virgin Mary was found by Giuseppe Labazia, a deaf and dumb boy who worked as a shepard, from Scalea who felt himself called by a female voice and discovered it between the holm-oaks; by miracle he recovered his hearing and his voice and began to spread the devotion for the Lady. They built a little chapel which later was extended to become the present grand building which has been made into Basilica by John Paul II in 1979.
The Calabrian Episcopal conference has defined it a regional sanctuary.