Although no one associates Sicily with modernist architecture, I visited the striking concrete Basilica of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Sanctuary of the Virgin of Tears) during a recent trip to Syracuse.

Designed by French architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat, the basilica was the winning entry in an international competition involving architects from 17 different countries. Construction began in 1966 but wasn’t completed until 1994 due to the building’s complex engineering, archaeological discoveries, funding issues, and controversy surrounding its bold modernist design.

Though originally intended to be even taller, the structure still reached 103 metres, its reinforced concrete cone tapering sharply upward and crowned with a bronze statue of the Virgin by Francesco Caldarella. The result is compared to a teardrop falling from heaven or, less flatteringly, to an upside-down ice cream cone. Approaching the basilica, the first impression was one of scale. The exterior was monumental and unmistakably modern, its geometric form visible from almost anywhere in the city.

Inside, the space was vast yet calm. The interior was circular in plan, 71 metres in diameter and designed to hold up to 11,000 standing or 6,000 seated visitors. Sixteen chapels were positioned around the perimeter, while the central altar – crafted from white marble and local Modica stone by Giancarlo Marchese – held the image of the Madonna delle Lacrime alongside an 18th-century cross. The interior’s height and symmetry were softened by diffused natural light entering from above.

The basilica’s striking ceiling featured a dramatic radial pattern of concrete ribs that rose and tapered toward the centre, drawing the eye upwards.

The design of the basilica was, and remains, controversial. Some see it as an eyesore, others as a daring and spiritually resonant work of modern architecture.