Abbey of Santa Maria del Bosco
The Abbey of Santa Maria del Bosco has preserved for centuries a heritage rich in art and history.
The first nucleus probably dates back to 1300 and was built by a group of hermits, accused of heresy, who lived in this place until they embraced the Benedictine rule. The current monumental complex dates back to the 17th century.
The monumental complex is spread over four levels around two large cloisters . The first square cloister has thirty-six columns with Doric capitals interspersed with round arches and niches and a large Baroque fountain in the center; the second cloister, rectangular in shape, has columns with Doric capitals supporting round arches and in the center a fountain dating back to 1713.
Inside the complex there is the church with a Latin cross, erected between 1643 and 1757, unfortunately severely damaged by the 1968 Belice earthquake, the monastery and the soaring pyramid-shaped bell tower .
The late sixteenth-century portal entrance to the abbey, which presents a movement of the architrave that takes its cue from Michelangelo's Porta Pia in Rome of the same period.
Of particular interest is the Refectory built in 1644 for will of the abbot Leonardo Ragusa. It is a large hall dominated by a fresco on the bottom representing the multiplication of loaves and fishes, dating back to 1609, and by panels in imitation marble on the sides. A large niche on the west side allowed one of the diners to read the holy scriptures during meals while the echo of his words also reached the last of the monks near the front door.
The abbey, surrounded by approx. 200 hectares of wooded land, offers an unparalleled panoramic view of western Sicily.
