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: ''Miliddi'') 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 level cl ...

, province of Siracusa, region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, 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 or a metropo ...

of the town.

History and description

A church at this site, dedicated to St Nicolas, 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 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 struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on January 11 at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7 ...

. 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 Wor ...

. 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 Giovanni Tuccari (1667–1743) was an Italian painter during the Baroque period, active in Sicily. Tuccari was born in Messina. He was the son and pupil of Antonio Tuccari, an obscure painter. He excelled as a battle painter. He died of the ...

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