Questo servizio è ottimizzato per essere navigato da dispositivi smartphone e tablet.
Per vedere il contenuto della pagina scansiona il QrCode con il tuo device.
ATTENZIONE
Church of the
Holy Crucifix
This is a building of rare beauty. With its octagonal shape, it rises on a high projection of the ancient town center and represents a touch of baroque art on the roof of San Fratello.
The Church of the Crucifix has three entrances on the outside, two of which are now closed. The central arched one, now closed, facing west, was originally the main entrance, with a staircase leading up to it; as the road passed underneath, the door was walled up, and the staircase was dismantled. The keystone of the arch, made of white marble, features a relief of an angel's head and is topped by sculptures depicting a Pietà and symbols of Christ’s Passion.
The only entrance door that still serves this purpose is the one facing north, whose lintel is topped by a marble relief depicting the linen of Veronica with the image of Christ.
The octagonal shape recalls the symbolism associated with the mystery of Christ and the creation of the world, as seen in buildings designed as Baptisteries: the number eight represents the "eighth day" of the week, the "new day," that of eternity. It was inaugurated by Christ’s sacrifice, hence the attribution of the church to the Crucified Redeemer.
The interior of the church is like a circular treasure chest, designed as a reliquary to house the memorial of the Lord’s Cross, which is praised by the main inscription (Ave Crux spes unica) and all the rich 17th-century stucco decorations. These decorations depict, as much as can be understood today due to various detachments, the apostle Peter with the rooster of betrayal, possibly Mary Magdalene with the alabaster jar, and at the top of the vault, the Paschal Lamb of the Apocalypse. The rest of the vault compartments, divided into eight sections, feature cherubs bearing the symbols of the Passion.
.jpg)
Inside the octagon, five free sides remain, occupied by five altars that precisely represent the five painful mysteries. The main altar, as mentioned, houses the 18th-century wooden Crucifix, probably made of lime wood, which has never been restored. The remaining four mysteries of the Passion are depicted by four medium-sized oil paintings of fine workmanship, representing the Agony in the Garden, the Flagellation, the Crowning with Thorns, and the Ascent to Calvary.
In a strongly dramatic way, the figures always surround the central figure of Christ who suffers: the earthly ones – the executioners – are depicted with inhuman, almost bestial features, while the heavenly ones – weeping angels and cherubs – are emotionally involved in the drama of the Redeemer. Except for the painting of the Ascent to Calvary, the paintings were restored by the Messina Superintendency in the late 1970s. The altar fronts and mensas of all five altars are simply made of marble, except for the central one, which has richer marble decorations.
Still under the jurisdiction of the Parish Church of San Nicolò, from March 9, 1950, for about a decade, the Church of the Crucifix served as the parish headquarters due to the demolition of the magnificent Renaissance Church of San Nicolò, located nearby. This church had been damaged by the continuous landslides that started in 1922 and by the consequences of World War II.
In the 1980s, some construction work leveled the building and its floor. Again, following the landslide of 2010 and the subsequent demolition of the new parish church of San Nicolò, the Church of the Crucifix now houses various works of art that have been removed and temporarily housed inside.
