Church of San Martino in Randazzo
Church of San Martino in Randazzo is one of the main places of worship in the city.
The original structure, which consists of a single central nave, dates back to the 5th century. In the twelfth century, the church was then enlarged with two further naves, while a fourth was added during the 1600s. Furthermore, during the bombings of the Second World War it was almost entirely razed to the ground and later rebuilt. The bell tower remained unscathed from the bombings. Currently, the church of San Martino shows mainly a Baroque style.
On its elegant façade, made up largely of blocks of lava stone, the presence of 12 sandstone miniatures representing saints and martyrs stands out. Its resemblance to the Church of San Nicola is evident, the work of the architect Andrea Calamech, who presumably was inspired by the unknown artist of this church.
41 meters high, the bell tower of the church of San Martino is considered by experts to be among the most beautiful in Sicily. The bell tower, located to the left of the church, presents a perfect combination of the Arab-Norman and Gothic styles. It is divided into four floors: the first, the oldest dating back to the first half of the twelfth century, has slits and single-pointed arches; the second, with the clock, and the third have pointed mullioned windows; the last one instead has three-pointed arches. The top ends with an octagonal spire surrounded by battlements.
The interior of the church of San Martino has a Latin cross shape and is characterized by a double row of lava stone columns.
Inside the church there were works of great value, some of which were unfortunately destroyed during the Anglo-American bombings during the Second World War. However, some marble works dating back to the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries have survived such as the baptismal font, the font in the shape of a lily chalice, the statue of the Madonna della Misericordia of the Gagini school of the sixteenth century and the statue of the Madonna delle Grazie by Vincenzo Gagini. of the XVI century. There is also a 15th-century polyptych by Antonello di Saliba, a pupil of Antonello da Messina, with the Madonna between Saint Maddalena and Saint Marta.
