Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption

Basilica of Our Lady's Assumption
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta

Façade of the Basilica of Our Lady's Assumption

Façade of Basilica of Our Lady's Assumption
Basic information
Location Alcamo, Trapani, Italy
Geographic coordinates 37°58′51″N 12°57′56″E / 37.980971°N 12.965526°E / 37.980971; 12.965526Coordinates: 37°58′51″N 12°57′56″E / 37.980971°N 12.965526°E / 37.980971; 12.965526
Region Sicily
State Italy
Province Trapani
Territory Alcamo
Groundbreaking 1332

The Basilica of Our Lady's Assumption (also called mother church) is a 14th-century basilica in Alcamo (in the Italian province of Trapani) named after the Assumption. It is situated in the very town centre, near Piazza Ciullo.

Historical hints

The Church in the first years of the 20th century: it is visible the high part of the bell tower, modified in 1942, and the dome's majolica coating.

The first mother church of Alcamo, positioned on the north side of the quarter of San Vito, was first dedicated to Our Lady Source of Mercy (Santa Maria Fonte della Misericordia, 1200) and then to Our Lady with the Star (Madonna della Stella).[1] This Church is still existing under the name of Santa Maria della Stella, though in a state of abandonment.[2]

In 1332 the inhabitants of quarter of San Vito moved near the castle of the Counts of Modica,[1] and for this reason a new mother church was built in the same place where the present one is located and it is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption.[1] This church opened to worship in 1402,[3] was built Catalan-Gothic style with a nave and two side aisles[4] and had a wooden ceiling and side chapels not aligned. It was enlarged and modified in 1471, 1530-1558 and 1581.[3]

Today we can only see the bell tower with double lancet windows (restored in 1942), the chapel of the Holy Thorn and the Baptistery.[3][5]

About the 16th century it gave the name to one of the four districts in which Alcamo was divided, the so-called "Maggiore Chiesa".[6][7]

In 1602 in this Church they founded the company of Santa Maria dello Stellario (Our Lady of Stellario), formed by countrymen ("villani") and butchers ("macellai"),[8] transferred to church of Stellario in 1625.[8]

The church was rebuilt in 1669 by Giuseppe Diamante and Angelo Italia (an architect from the Society of Jesus), while the neo-classical façade was realized in 1786[9] by Emanuele Cardona.[10]

In 1918 in the mother church they founded the congregation of the Sacramentines,[11] then the congregation of Ursulines (1919)[11] and the Assuntines (1936).[11]

Until the first half of the 20th century the dome was covered with majolica tiles, later replaced with copper plates. In 1954, year of Mary,[12] on the first centenary of the introduction of the Immaculate Conception's dogma, a 3 metre high statue of the Madonna was placed on the bell tower.

In May 1969 the Church of Our Lady's Assumption was elected as a basilica.[13]

Description and works

The Church has a basilican plan with a nave and two side aisles which are divided by two rows of columns with monolithic marble shafts extracted from the near mount Bonifato.[4] The stuccoes were made by the Curtis,[5] while the floor was realized on the architect Giuseppe Patricolo's plan.

The interior contains 38 frescos by Guglielmo Borremans; in particular the three frescoes on the vault, realized by Borremans in 1735, represent "Our Lady's Assumption with the Holy Trinity and the Saints Anna and Joachim, John the Baptist, David and the patriarchs, Cherubs, Angels and Archangels" (in the first space),[14] "The Virgin's Coronation with the Eucharistic Word in her bosom, the Holy Trinity and Angels" (in the second space)[14] and "the Queen Madonna crowned and sitting among the clouds, holding a sceptre with Saint Peter on the right and Saint Paul on the left and male and female saints who founded religious or monastic orders, with Saint Rosalia among them, below" (in the third space).[14]
Besides the frescoes, there are other works by Borremans[4] and in particular:

The Church has 5 chapels in the left nave, 6 in the right one and 6 in the area next to the apse.[5] In the past the chapels belonged to some local families that had the duty of preserving and embellishing them. Besides, they were used by the proprietary families as their graves. They were all noblemen except for the Abbati family.

Plan of the basilca of Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption
A: main door
B: side doors
C: exit under the bell tower
D: sacresty and Museum of Holy Art entrance
1-6: right nave chapels
7: right transept
8, 9, 11, 12: chapels next to the apse
10: apse
13: left transept
14-18: left nave chapels.

On the right nave of the Church you can find:

  1. The Chapel of Privilege which belonged to the Mastrandrea family and contains the marble altarpiece carved by Antonello Gagini in 1519, with the triptych of Madonna between the Saints Philip and James and Dormitio Virginis in predella[15] and two portraits on canvas with Saint Carlo Borromeo and Saint Philip dating back to the 17th century.[5]
  2. Saint Lucy's chapel which belonged to the De Ballis family. Inside there are two sarcophaguses: the first is the chapel's founder' tomb (Giovannello De Ballis') and the second is Graziano De Ballis' tomb (his son). There are also two paintings of Don Giovanni and his brother Giuseppe De Ballis, dating back to the first half of the 17th century and ascribed to Filippo Paladini.[5]
  3. Saints Crispino and Crispiniano's chapel: it contains a canvas painting of Saints Crispino and Crispiniano made in 1776 by Tommaso Pollaci.[5]
  4. The Crucifix's chapel: it holds the Abundance Crucifix, realized by Antonello Gagini between 1519 and 1523.[5] It was made in mixture, and is a copy of another one inside the church of San Domenico in Palermo and realized by the Matinati family.
  5. Madonna of Fatima's chapel: it holds a painting representing Madonna of Graces made by Giovan Leonardo Bagolino (Sebastiano Bagolino' father) in 1566.[5]
  6. Don Rizzo's chapel: built on the architect Paolo Portoghesi's design and unveiled in 1995. It contains a modern architectural work dedicated to don Giuseppe Rizzo (founder of the homonymous bank ) and his mortal remains.[5]

Next to the apse there are:

  1. The Sacred Heart of Jesus' chapel, situated in the right transept.[5]
  2. The Holy Thorn's Chapel (called "the Holy Spirit's Chapel" in the past[5]): built in 1430 at the behest of Palma de Gambono[16] and then passed to the Marcanza family[16] (owners of Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle) thanks to a wedding. It was bricked up in the first years of the 18th century and opened again in 1958.[3] Besides the fresco of Pentecost realized by an unknown author, it holds a silver reliquary dating back to 1636, containing the "Holy Thorn". They say it belonged to Jesus Christ's thorn crown and was brought here by Charles V[17] in 1535. The story tells that the thorn arrived together with two other thorns and that they were burnt by order of Girolamo de Terminis, the bishop of Mazara and only one remained undamaged, so proving its authenticity.[17]
  3. The Holy Sacrament's chapel: it holds the painting of the Last Supper made by Giuseppe Carrera in 1614.[5]
  4. Apse: it holds the canvas painting of the Assumption (1605), ascribed to Francesco da Castello and the wooden choir, realized in 1748.[5]
  5. Madonna of the Miracles' chapel: there is a wooden statue of the Madonna carved by Lorenzo Curti in 1720.[5] The statue is taken in procession during the festivity of Madonna of Miracles on 21 June.[18] which is the most important feast in Alcamo.[18]
  6. Saint Anna's chapel: with the two sarcophagi of Giovanni and Giuseppe De Ballis,brothers, dating back to the 16th century.[5]
  7. Saint's Peter's chapel , in the left transept : there are an altar, Saint's Peter's statue made by Giacomo Gagini in 1586 and Saint Vincent's body (a martyr).[5] Next to the altar,there is also a crypt, that once could be visited, where priests were buried.

Instead in the left navy (starting from the chapel nearest to the altar) there are:

  1. Saint Francis' chapel containing the fresco of Madonna of Snow, by an unknown author at the end of the 14th century.[5]
  2. The Four Crowned Men's chapel: it holds the painting of the Four Saints, made by Filippo Randazzo in 1737.[5]
  3. Chapel of Madonna of Trapani (or Madonna of Graces): contains a marble statue of Madonna with a Child by Giuseppe Marino (1730) and a bas-relief of Dormitio Virginis, sculpted in 1529 by Antonello Gagini.[5]
  4. Chapel of Madonna of Carmine: there are two paintings by Guglielmo Borremans and the wooden statue of Madonna of Carmelo, realized between the end of the 17th century and the early years of the 18th century.[5]
  5. Chapel of Madonna of Light: it belonged to the Abbati family and holds a marble baptistry dating back to the beginning of the 16th century and the painting of Madonna of Light made by Giuseppe Renda,[4] at the end of the 18th century.[5]

In the sacristy there are some works ascribed to Bartolomeo Berrettaro, such as the statue of Holy Mary's Aid and the portal lunette from the ex Church of Holy Mary's Aid.[4] The 15th century portal of the bell tower is ascribed to Berrettaro, too. (1499).[19]

Notes

References

See also

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