Mother Church in Pollina
The Mother Church, dedicated to SS. Giovanni e Paolo, is the custodian of great art treasures from the 15th and 16th centuries.
It was built around the year one thousand in the place where, it is believed, an ancient temple dedicated to Apollo stood. Originally the church consisted of a building with a single nave and a bell tower, separated from the body of the building, which served as a lookout. In the 17th century, the two side naves and the presbytery with the two side chapels were added. These structures were built over arches to cope with the difference in level of the land.
The building still retains the characteristic elements of medieval architecture.
The interior, divided into three naves, houses works of notable artistic value: a bas-relief depicting the Nativity and a statue of the Madonna della Grazie, works by Antonello Gagini (1478-1536); the marble tabernacle by Giorgio da Milano (15th century); an organ from the 1400s with the figures of Saints John and Paul.
