Sant'Agrippina is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church building in the town of

Mineo Mineo ( scn, Minìu, Greek: ''Menaion'' and ''Μεναί'', Latin: ''Menaeum'' and ''Menaenum'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, part of Sicily. It lies southwest of Catania, from Ragusa, from Gela, and from ...

, province of Catania, Sicily, that dedicated to the town's patron, Saint

Agrippina of Mineo Agrippina of Mineo, also known as Saint Agrippina (flourished 3rd century, died 262) was venerated as a virgin martyr in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Christianity. Legend Her legend states that she was a blonde princess born of a noble Roman ...

, sometimes known as Saint Agrippina.

History

The church is one of three Catholic churches located in Mineo; it tower-like domes are easily visible from afar. Tradition holds that this church shelters the relics of the titular Saint, leading it to become the center for her veneration and for prayers for her miracles. A church at the site was putatively consecrated in 312 at the site of an ancient oratory founded by St Eupresia in the year 263. Putatively the remains of the virgin and martyr Agrippina, were miraculously brought here from Rome. During the Muslim occupation of Sicily, this building likely served as a mosque. An earthquake in 1163 damaged the superior structure but the crypt of the church still dates from before this period. The 15th century reconstruction rebuilt the three tall semicircular stone apses with merlionated cornices. The structure is built in the layout of a

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

with a central dome. Much of the church derives from the reconstruction after 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 ...

. The central nave is flanked by 8 columns on each side and numerous side altars. The stucco decoration of the apse was completed by

Giacomo Serpotta Giacomo Serpotta (10 March 1656 – 27 February 1732) was an Italian sculptor, active in a Rococo style and mainly working in stucco. Biography Serpotta was born and died in Palermo; and may have never left Sicily. His skill and facility with st ...

, and the frescoes of the cupola were added in the 18th-century by Sebastiano Lo Monaco. The church contains a Nativity scene (Presepe) in wood. The baroque portal with a broken tympanum has a 20th-century bronze doors. The high altar has a bronze candelabrum (1593). In the 16th century, a polychrome wooden statue of Saint Agrippina was placed on a marble pedestal in the chapel on the right side of the church. From the 17th century, in the dome of the church, there are four hexagonal columns that are covered in an embossed silver leaf. Numerous stuccoes depicting scenes from the Old Testament adorn the ceiling, and to the right there is a precious crib made from wood.

Sources

* http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/ct/mineo/mineo.html * http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/ct/mineo/turismo/turismo.html * http://www.italien.com/Ferienregion/Sizilien/italy_sicily_catania_mineo.php

External links

Photos of the Church of Sant’ Agrippina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agrippina Mineo 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy

History

See also

Sources

External links