"SANTA MARIA DI GESU'" 'S CHURCH

Going on through the main square of the town, Vittorio Emanuele, we meet the artistic little church of S. Maria di Gesù, built in the 16th century, and turned today in national monument.

It was constructed in the Renaissance epoch; the characteristic roof was restored many times. Located on an embankment, its beauty stands up among the modest houses around it.

Interior of the Church

In its well-proportioned interior, the architecture and the valuable woodcarvings and stone engravings, reveal how modesty (bashfulness) matches with grace.

The marble statue of the Virgin "Santa Maria di Gesù", made by Giuseppe Gagini, maintains the original beauty that the eminent sculptor conferred to it.

The base of the statue is engraved with biblical episodes. Ordered to the artist by clergyman Filippo Ferrarolo, the statue was completed in 1578.

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Inside the church there are two excellent "vare", made by our fellow citizen Filadelfio Allò. In the wood-carved "vara": Madonna del Cardellino it is possible to read the name of the client: D. Joseph Costantino.

In the other "vara", richer in carvings, it is hardly possible to read the name of its procurator and the date: Nicola Cupani 1747.

The campanile

Coloured ceramic bricks cover the campanile, with its quadrangular embattled tower, surmounted by a conic pinnacle, and it appears harmonic and elegant.