The Chapel of Santissimo Salvatore ("Holy Saviour") is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church in Alcamo, in the province of Trapani.

History

This church is mentioned in a document dated 1379; even the

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

Ignazio De Blasi Ignazio De Blasi ( Alcamo, 1717-1783) was an Italian historian. He was the first scholar who wrote a history of his town providing documentary evidence on it. Biography Ignazio De Blasi was born in Alcamo in 1717, the son of Benedetto de Blasi, ...

speaks about it and says that the Church, at the foot of

mount Bonifato Mount Bonifato (825 metres high) is a mountain in north western Sicilly in the province of Trapani. It is famous for the pine forest and the Nature Reserve Bosco di Alcamo. On its slopes they have found a proto-historic necropolis and traces ...

, was very old as it has the main door facing west and the Cappellone facing east, like in ancient times. Next to the church, in 1531 there was the

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of the Fathers of the Our Lady of Mercy, also called of the Redemption because they were voted to the noble work of rescuing the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

that were in the hands of the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

; since 1621 the Conventual Franciscans succeeded to the Order of Our Lady of Mercy.Cataldo Carlo: Accanto alle aquile: Il castello alcamese di Bonifato e la chiesa di S. Maria dell’Alto p.98-101; Brotto, Palermo, 1991 In 1639 the carpenters, called coopers ("bottai") had the

right of patronage The right of patronage (in Latin ''jus patronatus'' or ''ius patronatus'') in Roman Catholic canon law is a set of rights and obligations of someone, known as the patron in connection with a gift of land (benefice). It is a grant made by the chu ...

on it; the March Fridays were solemnized on the high altar for their devotion. Some rooms were built at about 1890 on the remains of the friary by Father Salvatore Mannina, who lived there like a monk, together with some boys who wanted to set out to the clerical life. In 1942, the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

Alessandro Vincenzo Petralia, an

army chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term '' ch ...

, made some internal restorations in the Church, after the design of Giuseppe Russo, an engineer; the façade was reconstructed in Gothic style. From 1925 to 1942 the Congregation of Santissimo Salvatore was operative here, and after its

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

, besides the feast of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ...

, the members had to work in order to solemnize the feast of the

Titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

, which occurred on the first Sunday following 6 August (the Holy Saviour's holiday). The inhabitants of the quarter and the families on holiday in that "contrada" took part to the feast; after the Low Masses and the Sung Masses in the morning, there was the afternoon procession. There were also band concerts, the greasy poles,

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es made with paper and lights or small baskets made with coloured transparent paper, in this popular midsummer festival (sagra) sometimes there were fireworks too. After the

1968 Belice earthquake The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale, with five others of magnitude 5+. The maximum perceived intensity was X (''Extreme'') on the Mer ...

the church was entrusted to the

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

of the Church of the Holy Heart and they made further restorations in the early eighties: these interventions were providential and served to revive the interest on the small Church, avoiding its feared sale. Besides, it worked as the see of the new parish of Madonna del Riposo, elevated in 1986 by the bishop of Trapani, awaiting the building of a new and larger church, but after some years, they did not do anything about it.

Description and works

* High altar: a painting representing the Holy Saviour, realized in 1898 by Angelo Tamajo, a painter and photographer working in Alcamo at the end of the 19th century. * On a wall: a painting of Our Lady of Riposo by Francesco di Giovanni (1989), a reproduction of the one painted by Giuseppe Renda * In the sacristy: oval painting of Madonna del Riposo, made by Mariella Novara in 1982.

References

Sources

* {{cite web , title=Carlo Cataldo - Accanto alle Aquile , website=www.trapaninostra.it , url=http://www.trapaninostra.it/libri/carlo_cataldo/Accanto_alle_Aquile/Carlo_Cataldo_-_Accanto_alle_Aquile-003.htm , language=it , access-date=16 May 2021 * Cataldo Carlo: Accanto alle aquile: Il castello alcamese di Bonifato e la chiesa di S. Maria dell’Alto p. 98–101; Brotto, Palermo, 1991 * Cataldo Carlo: tradizioni religiose di Alcamo p. 18; ed. Campo, Alcamo, 1984 * Mirabella Francesco Maria: Alcamo sacra p. 336; Accademia di studi cielo d'Alcamo Tip. Cartografica, Alcamo, 1956 Roman Catholic churches in Alcamo

History

Description and works

See also

References

Sources