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The Association is non-profit and its social purpose is the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the artistic, cultural, and monumental heritage owned by the Parish "Santi Pietro e Paolo" in Castiglione di Sicilia.
Association Museum of Saints Peter and Paul in Castiglione di Sicilia.
+39 094 29 84 058
museosantipietroepaolo@gmail.com
+39 094 29 84 058
museosantipietroepaolo@gmail.com
Church of St. Anthony the Abbot
The Stone Garden
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https://www.museosantipietroepaolocastiglionedisicilia.it @ All Right Reserved 2023 - Website created by Flazio Experience
https://www.museosantipietroepaolocastiglionedisicilia.it @ All Right Reserved 2023 - Website created by Flazio Experience
Access to the Church is possible by paying a Ticket contribution of 1 Euro or scanning the QR code.
Located in one of the most characteristic and ancient neighborhoods of Castiglione, that of Cameni. It was started to be built in 1601, when the old church, which stood near the stream of San Giacomo, was destroyed by a landslide. Lacking the means to build it, the rectors thought of resorting to the contributions of devout people and especially the members of the confraternity of the Holy Souls of Purgatory, which was founded on October 20, 1605 with a privilege from the Archbishop of Messina F. Bonaventura, patriarch of Constantinople. But the confraternity, also known as the Whites or the Thirty-three because it could only have that number of associates chosen from the aristocracy, was soon dissolved and reconstituted by that of Saint Anthony Abbot.
At the end of the 1600s, the church was embellished and enriched especially with mosaic marbles by Tommaso Amato and with canvases by Tuccari, a painter from Messina.
The concave facade, ennobled by classic moldings, gives the whole a harmonious touch of lines and shapes that do not reflect the excesses of the Baroque, perhaps because it was due to local craftsmen who drew on Roman models. The bell tower, delimited by structures of lava stone, stands out with its bulb dome compared to the rest of the church, very well suited to the facades of the palaces surrounding the square, giving the architectural complex lightness and grace.
Inside the church, with a single nave and a side chapel, offers a serene, bright, and harmonious overall view. Among the polychrome mosaics, the main altar is beautiful and expressive, with the medallion of the frontal depicting Saint Anthony the Abbot standing out, the wonderful tabernacle, the twisted columns and the lateral pilasters, as well as the two small shelves placed on its sides illustrating, the one on the left a parrot devouring fruits, the one on the right a hunting scene. Some paintings represent the life of the hermit saint. In the first on the left, Saint Anthony and Saint Paul the Hermit are seated at the entrance of a tomb carved into the rock, in the second, the Saint is tempted by a demon appearing as a woman, in the third, the Madonna protects the journey of two friars. Two other paintings depict Saint Michael the Archangel defeating Satan and a guardian angel holding a child's hand.
Among other noteworthy works of art, the wooden statue of Saint Anthony, by Nicolò Bagnano, is certainly remarkable. In its compact planimetric layout, the facade of the Church of St. Anthony Abbot in Castiglione di Sicilia can be considered one of the highlights of Baroque architecture in eastern Sicily.
The structure is also accessible to visitors with disabilities thanks to the platforms provided. Access through a 1 euro coin or QR code scan.
