Church of Sant'Andrea in Piazza Armerina
The church of Sant'Andrea di Piazza Armerina and the primitive monastery belonging to the Grand Priory of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem constitute a religious aggregate of great artistic and historical value.
The Abbey of Sant'Andrea in Piazza Armerina can be considered as an expression of European Romanesque culture on a par with the Abbey of San Giorgio a Gratteri, of the Abbey of Santo Spirito in Caltanissetta, of Cathedral of Cefalù and Cathedral of Monreale.
In the Abbey of Sant'Andrea the fusion between the Ro style is evident handle and the Arab one.
The building has a warm sandstone structure surmounted by a small square bell tower. It is arranged from east to west according to the esoteric tradition of the construction of medieval churches.
On the southern facade and on the transept there are two elegant pointed arch portals surmounted at the top by a series of narrow loopholes. On the main façade there is a portal with recessed pointed arches adorned with slender columns of which only the bases and a marble capital remain. The portal continues in a staircase that leads to the river and the ancient mill of S. Andrea.
The interior has a long nave closed by a trussed roof. The transept is divided into three parts by large pointed stone arches.
The walls of the nave were richly frescoed until they were covered in 1830. A recent restoration has brought to light nineteen pieces of frescoes, among which there are some dating back to the time of foundation of the temple, XII century, while the others go up to the XV century. These frescoes represent a precious contribution to the Sicilian figurative culture of those centuries. Of particular artistic value are: the representations of Angels and Saints by Byzantine style; the Martyrdom of Saint Andrew; the Dormitio Virginis; the Deposition from the Cross; the Massacre of the Innocents; the 12th century Crucifixion; the Madonna and Child from the 15th century, the Resurrection from the 15th century; St. Anthony Abbot and St. Augustine enthroned enthroned.
