Church of Santa Agrippina in Mineo
The Church of Santa Agrippina in Mineo, dedicated to the Patron Saint, stands on one of the two hills of the city. On the second hill stands the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The church, characterized by slender architectural lines, magnificent stuccos, marbles and frescoes, boasts very ancient origins. It was consecrated on 19 June 312 and stands on the ruins of the private oratory which, according to tradition, Santa Eupresia had built in 263 on the place adjacent to the house where it received the mortal remains of the Virgin and Martyr Agrippina, miraculously transported from Rome to Mineo. < br> During the Arab domination it was subjected to a series of alterations and probably used as a mosque.
It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1163 and subsequently rebuilt. The crypt with a marvelous Byzantine fresco has survived from the ancient pre-earthquake structure. The following reconstruction dates back to three crenellated medieval towers in the apse side.
Struck by the terrible earthquake of the Val di Noto in 1693, it was rebuilt at the end of the 1700s and is still one of the most beautiful sacred monuments that adorn Mineo .
The peculiar characteristic of this religious building is its plan: it has a Greek cross plan and three naves separated by sixteen columns with a central dome; inside there are thirteen altars, the pronaos and the raised presbytery with four steps where the wooden choir stands. A further sixteen columns, leaning against the perimeter walls, support the arches and domes in the shape of an overturned basin, which form many small temples inside which the corresponding side altars stand.
Of considerable value are: the stuccos that adorn the church, attributed to Serpotta; the splendid frescoes of the 18th century by Sebastiano Monaco which decorate the vaults and the central dome.
Inside the church are kept works of art of considerable value : the wooden Nativity scene; the custody of the Blessed Sacrament, the presbyterial choir of the 18th century; the polychrome wooden statue of S. Agrippina, the work of Archifel from the 1500s. Also worthy of note are: the sarcophagus of Angela de Guerriero from the end of the 1500s; the portal of the chapel of S. Agrippìna; some altar frontals from the 1600s .
