Church of the Virgin Mary in Santa Venerina
The church of the Virgin Mary in Santa Venerina, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Chain, is a building of worship in Linera, a hamlet of Santa Venerina.
The original church, located not far from the current one, was built in the 16th century, it was heavily damaged by the 1879 earthquake and demolished in the 20th century. The current Church was built at the end of the 19th century at the behest of the Calì - Leonardi family from Acea, it was seriously damaged in 1914 and rebuilt in the 1920s.
The façade, closed by two pilasters, has a central portal flanked by pilasters with Ionic style capitals surmounted by a round arch with a glass lunette in the centre. Above the stringcourse frame stands a three-light bell tower flanked by two clocks.
The interior, with a single nave, features the main altar made of marble recovered from the ancient church. Some of the paintings kept in the church also come from the ancient structure. There are several paintings by Francesco Patanè from 1953.
