New Mother Church in Castelbuono
Davide Mauro - CC4.0
The New Mother Church of Castelbuono, dedicated to the birth of Mary, was built at the beginning of the 17th century as the Matrice Vecchia could not contain the growing number of faithful.
It was opened for worship in 1701 and was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of February 25, 1819.
The current appearance of the church, in neoclassical style, is due to the reconstruction that took place in 1830. The architectural complex lacks the dome and the two bell towers on the facade which were never rebuilt.
The The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross, is divided into three naves supported by twelve stone columns, covered with stucco. The stuccos that cover the four columns of the two altars in the transept are of particular workmanship because they are characteristic of the art of the Serpotta family.
Inside the church there are works of considerable artistic value: a large wooden cross dating back to the church, 15th century; an Antonellian triptych depicting the Madonna, Sant'Antonio Abate and Sant'Agata; a Crucifix from 1768, located in the Addolorata chapel, with one hundred reliquary glasses inserted in an artistic reliquary that covers the entire wall; the majestic tabernacle of the SS.mo Sacramento chapel dominated by the ciborium made with inlays, reliquaries and silver distributed over several floors; an eighteenth-century sedan chair, located in the sacristy, with some miniatures by Giuseppe Velasquez to whom an eighteenth-century canvas depicting the Deposition is also attributed.
The church houses a treasure of ancient origins consisting of liturgical furnishings, sacred vestments, devotional paintings, sculptures processional banners, tabernacles, reliquaries, votive offerings and precious jewels offered by local families.
