Santa Maria del Rosario ("Our Lady of the Rosary", also called ''San Domenico'') is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church in

Alcamo Alcamo (; ) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilometr ...

, in the

province of Trapani The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by ...

History

It was founded in 1660 with the adjoining

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

(used for public offices and houses after 1866) by the Dominican Fathers.Carlo Cataldo, Guida storico-artistica dei beni culturali di Alcamo-Calatafimi-Castellammare del Golfo pp. 76–79, Alcamo, Sarograf, 1982. Until that year they had resided in another

next to Santa Maria della Stella, where in 1587 there were eight friars and needed an urgent restoration work. They moved to the town area where today there is the Church of the Rosary, and carried the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

with the Madonna which is still kept in this Church. In 1761 the church was rebuilt and enlarged a lot, and finally in 1947 became a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

dedicated to

Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary (), also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Titles of Mary, Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October ...

Works

The interior with a rectangular

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and nine chapels, keeps the following works which are of good artistic value: * A cross, painted in the 15th century and placed on the ceiling * an old painting of

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...

, on the left side after the main entrance * Saint Peter Martyr, a 17th-century painting; below it there is a wooden statue of Madonna del Ponte made by Giuseppe Ospedale; in the first left chapel * Saint Vincent Ferrer a wooden statue, probably made in the 18th century; second left chapel *

(Madonna del Rosario) with the Mysteries, a painting by Vito Carrera in 1603; on the secondary door *

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

a painting by Mario Giambona (1713), coming from the ex church of Itria; third left chapel *

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

, on the wall there is a marble

Bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

by the school of

Gagini The Gagini or Gaggini were a family of architects and sculptors, originally from Bissone on Lake Lugano. This family founded Sicily's Gagini school, which flourished until the mid-1600s. Notable members One of the most notable members include D ...

, representing Dormitio Virginis; fourth left chapel In the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

: a beautiful altar with

and three wooden statues of Madonna and Child, Saint Dominic and

Saint Rose of Lima Rose of Lima, TOSD (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 24 August 1617) (, ), was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, Spanish Empire, who became known for both her life of severe penance and her care of the pover ...

* An old painting of

Saint Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

: on the right side, past the main entrance * A Dominican saint kneeling before Madonna and Child, made by Bernardo Rizzuti Pauletti from

Corleone Corleone (; or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Many Sicilian Mafia, Mafia bosses both in Sicily and the United States have come from the town of Corleone, inclu ...

(1718) in the second room * Saint Dominic, an old painting probably made in the 18th century; below it there is a wooden statue of Saint Expeditus by Domenico Messina; first right chapel * ''Santa Maria della Stella'' (1464), a fresco originally from the eponymous church, Santa Maria della Stella, Alcamo, attributed to Tommaso De Vigilia; although damaged and faded due to the passage of time, it still has the original expressive force. In the second right chapel * The

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

, a wooden statue; third right chapel * Elegant altar with a painting of saint Dominic by an unknown author, on the pillars there are 15 oval paintings representing the 15 mysteries of the Rosary realized by Carlo Brunetti in 1759 on behalf of the Company of the Rosary; fourth right chapel.Carlo Cataldo, La conchiglia di S.Giacomo p. 107, Alcamo, Campo, 2001. Madonna del Rosario con Bambino. San Domenico e Santa Rosa.jpg, Our Lady of the Rosary with

and

Madonna del Rosario con i Misteri.jpg, Our Lady of the Rosary with the ''Mysteries'' San Domenico, tela del Settecento.jpg,

Santa Maria della Stella.jpg, ''Our Lady of the Star'' Madonna della Provvidenza.jpg, Our Lady of Providence Pulpito ligneo.jpg, The wooden pulpit Inside the sacristy there was an

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

statue of the Virgin and Child, called Madonna della Provvidenza, dating back to the 15th century and attributed to Pietro de Bonitate (today kept in the

Sacred Art Museum Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in the

Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

), a painting representing the miracle of saint Vincenzo Ferreri made by Giuseppe Renda in 1793, and another representing saint Angela Merici, made in 1905 by Francesco Alesi.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Cite book, last1=Cataldo, first1=Carlo, title=La conchiglia di S.Giacom , page=107, publisher=Campo, location=Alcamo, publication-date=2001 Roman Catholic churches in Alcamo

History

Works

See also

References

Bibliography