Sanctuary of San Vito Lo Capo
The Sanctuary of San Vito is the most important monument and symbol of San Vito Lo Capo . It stands on the homonymous square, in the historic center of the town. The first construction, built around the fourteenth century, was a small chapel dedicated to San Vito martyr. Over time the fame of the church and of the miracles attributed to the martyr Vito and to Santa Crescenzia grew, therefore to welcome the numerous faithful who came on pilgrimage, and to defend them from thieves and bandits, at the end of the fifteenth century the original building was transformed into a fortress. -accommodation. It took several building renovations for the fortress to take on its current size: 104 meters at the base, 16 meters high and walls with a thickness ranging from a minimum of twenty centimeters to a maximum of two and a half meters.
The structure architecturally, in fact, it presents an evident mixture of military, religious and civil elements. The military elements can be recognized in the unusual height with respect to the surrounding building fabric, in the spear tower equipped with Ghibelline merlons, in the thick walls, in the scarcely hinted shoe up to the cornice, in the limited presence of windows and openings on the external walls, in the presence of loopholes, machicolation, door guards and arches bridges. The religious elements can be recognized in the crypt, in the votive niches, in the rose window, in the bell tower. Finally, there are also elements of civil architecture: the noble staircase, the sundial, the external decorative majolica and the floor of the presbytery area, the balconies, the terraces, the gardens.
The interior of the sanctuary is striking for the beauty of the ancient Altar. On the altar you can admire the beautiful statue of 1500 depicting the Saint youth, made of marble and attributed to the famous sculptor Gagini. Inside, the church retains a small underground room where there were two wells dedicated to the Saint in ancient times.
Inside the sanctuary there is a wing used as a museum. The museum houses the silverware, the wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception from the 15th century and the famous 17th century green velvet chasuble. In one room are kept all the gifts that the faithful brought as a gift to San Vito.
