San Giovanni Battista is considered among the oldest churches of Erice, though the date of its foundation is uncertain. A plaque inscription traditionally links the church’s origins to the era of Emperor Constantine.[1][3] The original building was small and rectangular; the present eastern portal—late Gothic/Chiaramontan with zig-zag (denti di sega) moulding and a fan-shaped stair—was formerly the main entrance before later reorientation of the church, and is variously dated between the 12th and 14th centuries in guide and scholarly literature.[3][4][5]
Between 1430 and 1436 the church was rebuilt in Gothic forms at the expense of the confraternity. In 1631 Don Matteo Buonfiglio financed a major expansion that gave the church its present plan: a single, luminous nave oriented north–south, measuring 35 metres in length and 10 metres in width, making it the most spacious church in Erice.[5][a]
Closed for worship for many years, the church underwent restoration in the 1970s to strengthen the stone structure. During these works, an 18th-century polychrome ceramic floor was removed and replaced with red brick tiles, while tombs once set into the pavement were also taken away.[5]
Architecture and artworks
The church retains elements of the medieval structure, including its lateral portals and traces of frescoes. The eastern portal is a late-Gothic feature with zig-zag (denti di sega) decoration, fronted by a fan-shaped staircase.[6]
Inside are several notable Renaissance sculptures. In the main apse niche stands a marble statue of Saint John the Baptist by Antonino (Antonio) Gagini, documented to 1537–1539; the pedestal bears reliefs of the Baptist’s life.[7][8] To the right of the crossing is a marble statue of Saint John the Evangelist by Antonello Gagini, dated 1531.[7]
In the left transept is a Visitation group—two statues representing the Virgin Mary and Saint Elizabeth—attributed to the Lombard sculptor Gabriele di Battista, circa 1497.[2] A marble holy-water stoup (acquasantiera) in the Gaginian style is recorded for 1529.[8][7]
The apse preserves medieval fresco fragments originally from the rock church of Santa Maria Maddalena; the building also serves as a repository for marble and stucco works no longer in their original locations.[6]
Notes
↑ Matteo Tusa is an architect and urban planner who authored the detailed plan for the historic centre of Erice, adopted by the city council in 1991. His 2017 self-published book Erice: Planning for Life republished this plan with commentary. Although not a professional historian, his work has been cited in academic literature on Sicilian conservation and heritage management.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
