Church of Monte in Gangi
The Church of Monte a Gangi, and the adjoining convent, constitute an ancient religious complex located at the top of Monte Marone. In particular, the church is adjacent to the ancient Ventimiglia Castle of which it was originally part. In 1604, in fact, the then prince of Gangi, D. Giovanni Ventimiglia, welcomed the first Capuchin friars who arrived in the town, giving them the right wing of the castle and the ancient chapel dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate.
The simple gabled façade is enriched by an artistic portal in stone, finely carved, dating back to 1700. It is flanked by a pair of pilasters with Ionic-style capitals that support the entablature and ends with a tympanum with valuable inlays and pediment. The door of the Church is made up of two bronze panels representing scenes from the life of Saint Francis, the work of Antonino Salvo, a sculptor of Gangitian origins.
The interior, with a single nave, houses works of notable artistic value: the canvas The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, located on the main altar, a masterpiece by the painter P. Antonio Jerone which, by his express wish, was donated to the church in 1951; the diptych of San Giorgio and San Cristoforo, located in the presbytery, works by the same author; a valuable wooden crucifix; a statue of the Immaculate Conception from the Messina school; the canvas of Sant'Antonio Abate, the work of the contemporary painter Santo Mocciaro.
