Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament in Carini
The Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament in Carini was built in the 16th century next to the Mother Church .
Of considerable interest is the hall of the Oratory , where the brothers gathered in prayer, finely decorated by the workshop of Giacomo Serpotta and some of his collaborators, including Vincenzo Messina. The hall is reached through a rectangular vestibule in which there is a painting on blackboard depicting the "Madonna del Monserrato" of Arena from 1605. The hall, also with a rectangular plan, has walls covered with precious decorations in stucco and eight allegorical statues, seated on a small cornice, depicting Faith, Charity, Fortitude, Prudence, Hope, Justice, Grace and the Church. The back of the brothers is limited at the top by the cornice on which the virtues are seated and is closed, under the windows, by a stucco frame.
The great hall is illuminated by six large windows whose walls are finely decorated with cherubs in various postures and large festoons. Under the windows, trilobate shelves protrude where small stages are inserted in which the best known Eucharistic miracles are represented.
The high altar is dominated by a large 16th century canvas. of the "monocle of Recalmuto" by the painter Pietro D’Asaro. On the opposite wall there is a choir surrounded by four small frescoes attributable to the Flemish Guglielmo Borremans and two paintings representing "Elijah receiving the bread from the Angels" and the "Multiplication of the Loaves". The ceiling, also white, bears in the center the "Triumph of faith" by F. Tancredi dating back to the eighteenth century.
In the corners of the oratory you can see small snakes, "sirpuzze", which are considered the signature of Giacomo Serpotta. Another interpretation is that these represent, being colored green, the presence of "Evil" even within an Oratory.
The Oratory can be visited during events or by reservation.
