The Norman church Santa Maria di Mili was built around 1091 by Count Ruggero Altavilla in the context of a monastery of Basilian monks and in the place where a monastery from the Byzantine era probably stood.

In 1092 Count Roger buried here his son Giordano, who died in battle in Syracuse; this burial is remembered by a plaque preserved in the deposits of the Regional Museum of Messina.

After alternating periods of splendor with periods of decline, in 1542 the abbey was donated by Charles V to the Great Hospital of Messina.

The nave was extended; this led to the destruction of the original facade.

In 1866, due to the laws of the new Italian state, the monastery was sold to private individuals.

The church is still a heritage of the Ministry of the Interior of the Cult Fund, and is in a state of neglect and is closed to the public.

The external appearance is enchanting for the polychromy of the coverings; the most notable part is the apse, in which three hemispherical domes of clear Islamic matrix and the central apse in Romanesque style stand out.

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