CHIESA MADRE

Santa Maria Assunta Basilica or Mother Church

Its origins are fourteenth century  but its modern-day appearance dates back to its reconstruction in 1669 by the famous architects Angelo Italia and Giuseppe Diamante, whilst the neoclassic façade dates from 1786.  Of the pre-existing structure, the gothic chapel of Santa Spina (1430) and the elegant door of the bell tower (1499)  attributed to Bartolomeo Berrettaro are both interesting. Over the centuries renowned artists from Antonello and Giacomo Gagini to Guglielmo Borremans enriched the magnificent interior made up of a nave and two side aisles divided by two rows of columns in local red marble. Noteworthy is the marble triptych of Madonna between saints Philip and James, an exquisite work by Antonello Gagini (1519). In the adjacent museum of sacred art there are some valuable works, including a painted cross from the XIV century.