San Nicolò Vescovo is a Renaissance-style Roman Catholic church located on Piazza Duomo, above Via Ruggero Settimo in the town of

Melilli Melilli ( Sicilian: ''Miliḍḍi'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (southern Italy), located about southeast of Palermo and about northwestern of Syracuse. Geography Melilli stands at about above sea leve ...

province of Siracusa The province of Syracuse (; ) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from Corinth in the 8th century BC. It had an area of and a tota ...

, region of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, Italy. It is the ''Chiesa Madre'' or

Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the town.

History and description

A church at this site, dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

, bishop of Myra, first patron saint of Melilli, is known since 1308-130 when the town came under the feudal rule of the Mezzamontagna family. This church is thought to be one of the churches dedicated to this saint noted in a bull of

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

in 1169. The structure was heavily damaged by the earthquake of 10 December 1542, and again by the

1693 Sicily earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake was a natural disaster that struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, then a territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria and Malta, on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was ...

. Reconstruction promptly ensued under Michele Trigilio and Girolamo, and his brother Giuseppe, Palazzotto. The first story of the campanile was rebuilt in a Romanesque-style by the brothers La Bella di Melilli, and the second story by Natale Bonaiuto. Construction lasted until 1760, and the church was reconsecrated in 1763. In the very plain East-facing facade, the architrave of the portals have sculpted elements from the coat of arms of the Moncada family and symbols of the bishopric. Above the right portal is a sculpted set of bags, reflecting the miracles of the money bags belonging to St Nicholas. Interior to church is a ceiling fresco depicting the ''Triumph of the Faith'' (1762) by

Olivio Sozzi Olivio may refer to: * Olivio (restaurant), Dutch Michelin starred restaurant People * Olívio Dutra Olívio de Oliveira Dutra (; born 10 June 1941 in Bossoroca, Rio Grande do Sul) is a Brazilian politician. He is a founding member of the W ...

. The main altarpiece depicts a ''Glory of San Nicola'' (1769) by Francesco Gramignani Arezzi. The chapel dedicated to the ''Madonna of Lourdes'' with an artificial grotto was built in 1819 under patronage of a local parishioner and using designs by Mario Moschetti. It replaced an altar dedicated to St Phillip Neri. In the chapel of the Sacrament is a canvas depicting the ''Massacre of the Innocents'' Giovanni Tuccari and an altarpiece depicting the ''Madonna and child, St Phillip Neri with Souls in Purgatory'' by an unknown master. Altarpieces on the right altars include a ''St Cajetan and the Crucifix'', a ''Madonna of the Rosary with St Catherine and St Dominic'', and a ''Saints Peter and Paul'' by Gramignani Arezzi; and a ''St Francis of Paola'' by unknown painter. Altarpieces on the left altars include ''San Mauro with St Benedict and St Placidus'' and ''St Anthony of Padua gives a Sermon to the Fishes'', a ''Virgin of the Immaculate Conception between St Charles Borromeo and St Phillip Neri'' by Gramignani Arezzi; and a ''Glory of St Joseph'' (1766) by Romualdo Formosa.Comune of Melilli
information on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolo Melili 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Sicily