The church of Maria Santissima dell'Itria 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 lette ...

parish church in the town of

Barrafranca Barrafranca (Latin: Convicinum, Calloniana) is a ''comune'' and city in Sicily, southern Italy in the Province of Enna. A Roman fortification known as Calloniana, in 1529 it was founded by Pietro Barresi, Prince of Pietraperzia, and took the cur ...

, in the province of Enna, region of

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

, Italy.

History and Description

A church at this site dates to circa 1598. Atop the facade are three arches that form a sail-like campanile. The church has a rich stucco decoration in the interior by Giuseppe Fantauzzo. He also created the bas-reliefs depicting the Madonnas of the Annunciation, Assumption, and Itria, as well as a St Francis of Paola and a Madonna of the Sacred Heart. Among the masterworks of the church are the altarpieces of the ''Annunciation'' (1613-1619) by

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Cava ...

, a depiction of the Marian veneration of Santa Maria dell’Itria (prior to 1745), and a depiction of St Roch (prior to 1837) by

Francesco Vaccaro Francesco Vaccaro may refer to: * Francesco Vaccaro (painter) (c. 1636–1675), Bolognese painter and engraver of the Baroque period * Francesco Vaccaro (footballer) (born 1999), Italian footballer {{hndis, Vaccaro, Francesco ...

. The baptismal font dates to 1681.Comune website
entry on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Itria Barrafranca 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in the province of Enna