Abbey of Santa Maria La Noara in Novara di Sicilia
The Abbey Church of Santa Maria La Noara in Novara di Sicilia, located near the hamlet of Badiavecchia, was formerly annexed to a Cistercian monastery, the first Circestenze Monastery of Sicily.
No trace remains of the monastery, the church of S. Maria La Noara, built in the 12th century and originally dedicated to the Annunziata, is still visible.
It was built starting from 1137 by the will of Roger II and in 1172 the monastery, again by the will of Roger II, it was settled by the Cistercian order. In 1600 the monastery was almost destroyed by a heavy flood and, after an attempt at reconstruction, it was definitively abandoned in 1731.
In the church the original characters are very evident, created in a sober style, typical of the order of the Circestensi, characterized by narrow arched windows, which appear as loopholes and Gothic pointed arches. These are contrasted with the modern elements introduced during the last century.
The current entrance to the church, today a rounded sandstone courtyard, was originally the apse of the church.
