Church of Santa Maria di Gesù in Avola
The Church of Santa Maria di Gesù in Avola is among the oldest religious buildings in the city.
It was one of the first churches to be built after the 1693 earthquake and was completed in the first half of the 18th century. The sacred building was part of the adjacent convent of the Observant Friars Minor.
The façade of the church has a valuable portal and the belfry with three lights.
The interior, with a single nave with crypt, is enriched by wall paintings and rococo stuccos.
Of particular value are the two twisted columns of the main altar decorated with bas-relief racemes.
Among the works kept in the churches we remember: the Immaculate Conception with the SS. Francesco e Rosalia, a work following the Counter-Reformation attributed to Pietro D'Asaro and Zoppo di Gangi; the Crucifixion, San Liborio, the Stations of the Cross; the polychrome marble mausoleum from 1734 with the bust of Ascensio Battaglia on it, captain of arms and an important figure in the reconstruction phase of the city; some contemporary works by Mario Mogani.
