Mother Church in Vicari
dell
The Mother Church of Vicari, dedicated to San Giorgio Martire, is a building of Norman origin.
It was built around 1200. Originally the building was much smaller than the current one and occupied only the area dedicated today to the choir. Over the centuries the structure has undergone important alterations: in particular in 1533, at the behest of Don Vincenzo del Bosco, the sacred building was enlarged to occupy the current surface.
The façade, marked by pilasters surmounted by Ionic style capitals, has lost some typical elements of the mannerist style following a plaster application operation which took place during a restoration in the early years of the twentieth century.
The The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross, is divided into three naves and retains most of the original furnishings.
Among the works kept inside the church, of notable artistic interest are: the painting depicting Santa Rosalia by Pietro Novelli created between 1603 and 1647; the canvas depicting the Immaculate Conception by Vincenzo La Barbera created between 1605 and 1637; the marble statue of the Madonna and Child dating back to the sixteenth century.
Of notable artistic value is a marble altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Saints, a work by Antonello Gagini located in the first chapel of the right nave.
