Chiesa Madre or "Mother Church" of Carlentini is a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located on via Via Roma #140, corner with via Garibaldi, in center of the town of

Carlentini Carlentini () is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It lies 45 km (28 mi) outside the provincial capital of Syracuse. Naming history In 1551, Viceroy Juan de Vega, 1st Count of Grajal, founded a ne ...

in the province of Syracuse, region of Sicily, Italy. The church is dedicated to the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

(''Immacolata Concezione'' in Italian).

Description

A church at this site was begun with the foundation of the town in 1551, under the patronage of the viceroy Giovanni De Vega, and completed by 1609. However, that structure was virtually razed 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 ...

, and reconstruction proceeded slowly over the next centuries. The main façade, only completed in 1913, has peculiar

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

(Liberty style) decoration on the second story and oval niches for the statues on the first story. The interior has the traditional three naves divided by columns. The bell-tower was only completed in 1933. The present organ was donated by the Matarazzo family in 1941, to replace the prior 1742 organ. The interior is decorated with polychrome marble. The altar of the Holy Sacrament was frescoed (1804). The chapel of Santa Lucia, patron of the town was completed in 1831. It is decorated with the coat of arms of

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, for whom the town was named. The central nave ceiling was frescoed with a representation of the ''Immaculate Conception with the Holy Trinity and St Michael Archangel''. The church suffered some damage in the 1990 Carlentini earthquake, requiring repair.Parish web site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madre Carlentini 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in the province of Syracuse