Capuchin Church and Convent in Aidone
The Church of San Francesco and the adjoining Capuchin convent constitute an important monumental complex of the village, today home to the Archaeological Museum of Aidone.
The complex was built between 1612 and 1618 and was dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi.
The exterior, in bare stone, is characterized by sober lines.
The church, with a single nave, has two chapels on the south side. The central altar, with an inlaid wooden ciborium, is surmounted by a nineteenth-century triptych depicting the Nativity.
Among the works kept inside, of particular value are: a cross-shaped reliquary; the wooden bust of Ecce Homo, the work of Fra' Umile da Petralia.
The church also has a crypt, which is accessed from the second chapel, and an ancient underpass that, according to tradition, leads to a system of tunnels that connects the convents of Aidone.
From the cloister of the convent, with a portico on only one side, you can access the convent, home to the Regional Archaeological Museum of Morgantina archaeological finds. Inside the cloister there is: a medallion fresco depicting Saint Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King Peter III of Aragon, who left the crown to become a tertiary of the Franciscan Order; and the wooden statue depicting the saint Fra Felice da Nicosia.
