Mother Church of Giarratana
The Mother Church of Giarratana, dedicated to Maria Santissima Annunziata and San Giuseppe, is the oldest church in the city.
It was built starting in 1696, only three years after the terrible earthquake in the Val di Noto which destroyed the ancient buildings of the city. Since, unlike the churches of San Bartolomeo and Sant'Antonio Abate, its reconstruction was not financed by wealthy patrons, this lasted for over two centuries and was completed in 1935. For this reason the building has a late Renaissance style .
The façade in late Renaissance style is characterized by the absence of the bell tower on the right.
The interior, with a basilica plan and a Latin cross, is divided into three naves.
Inside the church are keep the main bell and gold and silver furnishings donated to the church by the Marquis of Giarratana.
Of particular value are the paintings that adorn the walls of the temple, such as the altarpiece of the Annunziata by Marcello Viery, dating back to 1790, from simple and delicate images, and the altarpiece of the Purgative Souls also from the end of the 18th century.
Of notable workmanship are: the statue of St. Joseph with intense expressiveness; the wooden statue of San Bartolomeo from the 16th century; and the sixteenth-century wooden crucifix.
The church houses the baroque altar spared from the earthquake of 1693 belonging to the former church of San Bartolomeo.
