Santissimo Salvatore, Erice

Church of the Santissimo Salvatore
Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore
The church façade
38°2′15.112″N12°35′10.100″E / 38.03753111°N 12.58613889°E / 38.03753111; 12.58613889
Location	Erice, Sicily, Italy
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Active
Founded	14th century
Dedication	Santissimo Salvatore
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Style	Chiaramontan Gothic
Completed	1711 (consecration)

The Church of the Santissimo Salvatore (Italian: Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore) is a Roman Catholic church in Erice, Sicily. It adjoins a Benedictine monastery complex, now largely in ruins. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The church dates from the early 14th century, when it was established within a palace of the Chiaramonte family in Erice. ^[2] The Chiaramonte were among the most powerful baronial houses in 14th-century Sicily, with their principal seat at Palazzo Chiaramonte in Palermo. They held eight fiefs. ^[3] Count Manfredi III Chiaramonte later served as one of the Four Vicars who governed Sicily during the minority of Queen Maria. ^[4]

At the end of the 13th century, Benedictine nuns settled in the Erice palace, forming the Monastery of Santissimo Salvatore. ^[2] The monastery expanded in 1588 and eventually housed up to fifty nuns. The monastic complex covered about 1,700 m² and was built on ancient cisterns that some have hypothesised were connected to basins associated with the cult of Venus Erycina. The monastery became a centre of embroidery and textile production, particularly liturgical vestments in silk, gold, silver, and coral. The nuns were also renowned for their confectionery, including the sweets now known as ericini. ^[2]

Following Italian unification and the 1866 law suppressing religious orders, the monastery was closed and its property confiscated, ending centuries of Benedictine presence. ^[2]

During the 17th century the church interior was rebuilt and enlarged. It was consecrated in 1711 by the bishop of Mazara, Giuseppe Castelli. In 1794 Pietro Dell’Orto decorated the interior with stuccoes and arabesques. ^[1]

In 1913 the building was transferred from ecclesiastical ownership to the Fondo per il Culto (F.E.C.), later passing to the municipality of Erice and then back to the Church. Between 2014 and 2017 the church underwent restoration funded in part by the Italian Bishops’ Conference through the “8x1000” programme. ^[1]

Architecture

The exterior preserves Gothic Chiaramontan features, including pointed arches, bifora and monofora windows, and masonry in exposed stone. The single-nave interior includes side chapels and a raised presbytery. Six altars once adorned the church, with works such as:

• a wooden crucifix of the Crocifisso spirante;
• a stucco statue of Saint Benedict;
• a bust of Saint Francis of Paola commissioned by the Palazzolo family;
• a marble statue of Our Lady of Succour (16th century);
• a painting of Martha and Mary Magdalene attributed to Andrea Carreca.

Some of these artworks were later transferred to the Cordici Museum. ^[1]

References

1. "Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore (Erice)". Chiese Italiane. Ufficio Nazionale per i Beni Culturali Ecclesiastici e l'Edilizia di Culto (CEI). Retrieved 23 August 2025.
2. "Santissimo Salvatore". La Montagna del Signore. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
3. Norwich, John Julius (2015). Sicily: A Short History, from the Greeks to Cosa Nostra. London: John Murray. p. 149. ISBN   978-1-84854-897-8.
4. La Lumia, Isidoro (1867). "I quattro vicari. Studi di storia siciliana del XIV secolo". Archivio Storico Italiano. Serie terza (in Italian). 5 (1 (45)): 3–6. JSTOR   44453169 . Retrieved 16 September 2025.

External links

• Santissimo Salvatore virtual tour — Comune di Erice