Basilica of Santa Margherita in Licodia Eubea
The Basilica of Santa Margherita Vergine e Martire is the mother church of Licodia Eubea, dedicated to the patron saint of the city Margherita V.M d'Antiochia di Pisidia.
It was built around 1600, but following the terrible earthquake of the Val Di Noto of 1693 was almost completely destroyed, only one wing remained, the one dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate, around which the entire current church was rebuilt.
The façade is in late Baroque style: the heraldic coat of arms stands out in the central part of the Santa Pau family with some allegorical elements such as capitals, friezes, masks and two medallions with the busts of Saints Peter and Paul. The bell tower of considerable size stands out.
The interior has a basilica-style plan with three naves, divided by two rows of five columns and equipped with three apses. The presbytery, following the provisions of the Second Vatican Council, underwent profound changes and the artistic balustrade was eliminated. There are two chapels at the top of which there are two domes: one dedicated to the SS. Sacramento, rich in elegant plaster stuccoes and frescoes, and the second to the Addolorata.
Among the works kept inside the church, the majestic statue of Saint Anthony the Abbot stands out, carved in wood decorated in 1617 by Giovanni Battista Galone , and the papier-mâché statue of Christ in the urn, "U Signuri 'a cascia", a simulacrum that takes on particular interest and devotion in the Licodian Holy Week.
