Tourism and tourist places in Santa Margherita di Belice: The Mother Church

More than hundred kilometres from Agrigento, on hills adorned by vine and wheat growings and surrounded by rivers Belice, Caboi and Senore, rises Santa Margherita di Belice.

The town, rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1968, gets an ordered planning-town characterized by a structure with orthogonal stitches with the branches of streets arranged perpendicularly among them.

The town has its center in piazza Matteotti where are, compromised by the earthquake, the Filangeri Palace, that was the country residence of author of Gattopardo, Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa (1896-1957), the original Palazzata of '700 and the magnificent Mother Church (1896-1957), the original Palazzata of '700 and the magnificent Mother Church.

The church, dedicated santa Rosalia, was built in 1600 and was restored with some substantial changes in 1700.

The inside of the temple still preserves, despite the earthquake, the brightness of the work of art which is the Mother Church.

The architecture shows the remains of a side wall, while the very beautiful high-altar dominates the scene. It is formed by the table, supported by a base or jamb.

On the right of the altar there was the corno del Vangelo (horn of the Gospel) while on the left there was the corno dell’Epistola (horn of the letter), so-called because opposite them the priest read lesson of the Gospel and the letter respectively.

Building delightes in his elegant decorations: ornaments executed by carvings, inlays, floral motifs, sculptures depicting young children, crowns of flowers and fruit.

Walls are covered with precious and original frescoes, while columns, with groovy trunk, are elegantly enriched by capitals adorned by leaves of acanthus.