At its top is the sanctuary of Madonna del Monte Sacro, with a tall cross which is illuminated by night. The sanctuary occupies the site an ancient temple of the
Oenotrians, dedicated to a deity later identified with
Hera. In local scholarly tradition, it has long been maintained that the site was known to the
Saracens: according to this reconstruction, Gelbison derives from
gebel-el-son, which in Arabic means 'mountain of the idol.' Recently, a derivation from the German
Gelbeisen has been considered more likely, referring to the
limonite deposits located on the mountain. ==See also==