Mother Church in Linguaglossa
The Mother Church of Linguaglossa, also known as the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is the main religious building of the Etna village.
It was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The bell tower was recently built.
The façade, probably designed by Filippo Vasta, is characterized by the chromatic contrast between the lava stone and the sandstone. It is divided into two orders by a string course frame. On the first level, marked by pilasters made of lava stone blocks, three portals open. The central portal, larger in size, is flanked by pairs of pilasters in lava stone ashlars that support the entablature and a broken tympanum that frames a sandstone coat of arms. The two trabeated side portals are surmounted by windows made of lava stone blocks closed by a segmental arch. On the second level there is a large central window which takes up the lines of the two side windows. The bell tower, set back from the facade, appears asymmetrical with respect to the entire building as it incorporates an ancient sacred building prior to the church itself.
The interior, with a Latin cross plan, is divided into three naves. The central ceiling is coffered, while the two side naves are covered with cross vaults.
Among the works kept in the church, of particular artistic value are: the eighteenth-century wooden choir with the Giacomo Locatelli pipe organ from Bergamo of 1903; the simulacrum of the Madonna delle Grazie.
