Santo Angelo Custode ("Holy Guardian Angel", or ''chiesa delle Riparate'', "Sheltered Women", from the name of the women's detention home once inside the

nunnery A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...

) 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 located 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 ...

, Sicily, southern Italy.

Description

The church has a single nave. It was built in 1659 in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

, with the adjoining "Convent

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

for sheltered women" built in 1684. It was enlarged and embellished in the 18th century by the architect Giovanni Biagio Amico, and restored again in the 19th century. The structure of the building has been improved in recent years in order to render it more suitable for modern requirements.

History

On 24 April 1647, the four municipal administrators founded a ''House for the Repented or Sheltered Women'' ("converted

sinners In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

"), in order to avoid sins and the devil's temptations. This institution was called "House of the Sisters of Penance" and they had to live thanks to people's alms and following the rules of the bishop of Mazara del Vallo;Cataldo, Carlo (1998). ''Le riparate: il reclusorio dell’Angelo Custode di Alcamo nella storia del costume di Sicilia'' (in Italian). Alcamo: ed. Campo. they were forced to undergo penance practices and severe body corporal punishments. In 1659 Francesco Lazio, a priest, left his patrimony to a "Church of the Saint Guardian Angel", which was to be built with the adjoining ''House of the Sisters of Penance'': these women had to follow the Rule of

Santa Francesca Romana Santa Francesca Romana (), previously known as Santa Maria Nova, is a Catholic church situated next to the Roman Forum in the rione Campitelli in Rome, Italy. History An oratory putatively was established in the eighth century under Pope Pau ...

. In 1774 there were ten women living there, coming from the provinces of

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

and

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

. This number later grew to fifteen. Further to the new dispositions about religious institutions, since 1820, the building received only "religious women" belonging to the

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

, and orphans. As it was a moral institution in 1880, its goods were not confiscated by the

State property State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

Works

The works of art in the church include: *Jesus’ apparition to

Mary Magdalen Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

, (under the choir on the right), by an unknown author *

Saint Margaret of Cortona Margaret of Cortona (1247 – 22 February 1297) was an Italian penitent order, penitent of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She was born in Castiglione del Lago, Laviano, near Perugia, and died in Cortona. She was canonized, canonised in 1728. ...

(under the choir on the left), by an unknown author *the

Guardian Angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

, canvas by Domenico La Bruna (1738). *

santa Francesca Romana Santa Francesca Romana (), previously known as Santa Maria Nova, is a Catholic church situated next to the Roman Forum in the rione Campitelli in Rome, Italy. History An oratory putatively was established in the eighth century under Pope Pau ...

, canvas by Domenico La Bruna (1738). *Jesus and the

Samaritan Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...

(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 ' ...

on the left), by an unknown author *Jesus and the

Adulteress Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept e ...

(in the apse on the right), by an unknown author *the Holy Heart of Jesus (1789), by an unknown author * Madonna of Libera, painted by G. Mistretta, in 2nd half of the 19th century *An 18th century wooden crown, a

Crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

es on the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

*Statue of

saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

, (1980) made by the Santifaller school *Statue of Saint Scolastica, (1980) made by the Santifaller school. File:Gesù e la Samaritana, tela.jpg, Jesus and the Samaritan woman File:Angelo Custode.jpg, The Guardian Angel File:Santa Francesca Romana.jpg, Saint Francesca Romana Inside the nunnery there are the following paintings: *The saint of the

, an old painting * Saint Atanasio, Christ and the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

(by an unknown author) *

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

Ecce Homo ''Ecce homo'' (, , ; "behold the man") are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of the Gospel of John, when he presents a scourged Jesus, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his crucif ...

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 ...

Our Lady of Miracles Our Lady of Miracles (or Madonna of Miracles) is the patron saint of the town of Alcamo. Historical hints The cult of Madonna of Miracles in Alcamo dates back to 21 June 1547, the day people remember the Madonna's apparition to some women near ...

(Maria Santissima dei Miracoli,1784), a painting by an unknown author *Maria Santissima dei Miracoli: a painting on a plate, assigned to Giuseppe Renda *Saint Benedict, canvas by Francesco Alesi, a priest *Saint Scolastica, canvas by Francesco Alesi, a priest *Saint Benedict and saint Scolastica talking, a tablet by Francesco Alesi, a priest *

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

, a tablet, probably made by Francesco Alesi.

References

Sources

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External links