Mother Church of Zafferana
The Church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza is the Mother Church of Zafferana Etnea. It stands on a wide and spectacular staircase in lava stone, in stark contrast to the white facade, and is the most important monument of the city.
It was built in 1731 at the behest of Don Francesco Gagliano, dean of the Collegiate Basilica of Catania. Its construction lasted for a long time and was remodeled and enlarged several times following the numerous earthquakes that made it unusable. The original church was smaller, arranged orthogonally to the current one. On February 20, 1818, a terrible earthquake destroyed the building, causing twenty-nine victims among the faithful present at the sacred functions. On this occasion the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie was built, a small wooden religious structure built in anticipation of the reconstruction of the Mother Church. The reconstruction works followed, in 1882 a new extension intervention led to the lengthening of the naves. The last recovery and restoration intervention took place following the 1984 earthquake, which caused the collapse of the vault of the central nave and countless other structural damage. The church was reopened for worship after fourteen years.
The façade, in white Syracuse stone, built from 1897 to 1928 on an eclectic style project by the architect Carmelo Sciuto Patti, features elements ranging from Sicilian Baroque to Art Nouveau. The façade is made up of a central body slightly set back from the two twin bell towers. The octagonal dome is artistically covered with blue majolica tiles. The doors have bronze panels in relief depicting the procession during the eruption of 1792, a scene from the monastic life of the Priory of San Giacomo and, above, the scenes from the New Testament in which the Madonna is present. The side doors, on the other hand, are enriched with panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ. On the main portal, behind a curvilinear cornice, there is a large Christ Pantocrator who, with his arms outstretched, welcomes the faithful. On the upper level there is a statue depicting the Most Holy Mary of Providence and the Marian coat of arms. The side entrance facing east is in sculpted lava stone, and the date 1730 is engraved on its threshold, the year in which construction work on the church began. It is believed that this was the main entrance to the original church.
The interior with three naves has a Latin cross plan. The elegant and sober appearance as a whole is embellished by the presence of numerous works of art.
