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The Mother Church , dedicated to the Patron Saint Nicolò of Bari , is situated on the highest area of the town. The church shows a rather simple architecture and the big bell-tower, next to the sacred building, becomes an element of primary importance.
Probably The Mother Church already existed during the Roman-Byzantine period; but around 1400 because of its bad conditions and the frequent seismic shakes, it started being ruined to fall completely down around 1500 after further earthquakes. The reconstruction took place gradually. The aisles with the chapels were added to the simple one-nave structure ( shorter than the present one). They still now have the names of the noble families that took on charges: Bottaro- Passalacqua- Ventimiglia,etc….
The two central chapels were dedicated, one to the Patron Saint Nicolò and the other to the Vergin of the Graces.Above the door bringing to the bell-tower, inside the Church, the date 1572 is engraved confirming that the restoration of the tower-bell was completed during that year .The tower-bell rises with a clear Renaissance style ( restored by the Camilliani in the last decades of 1500) with the open- loggia bell cell on its four sides with two arches. All the tower is set on four powerful angular pilasters made of freestone fragments. Because of the earthquake in 1908, the highest part of the tower was damaged again and subsequently rebuilt by the mason Casella.
Many masterpieces are carefully kept in the Church. We can particularly distinguish some paintings such as an Annunciation by an anonymous author and some frescos also dating back to the XVII century representing episodes of the Old and New Testament.
Not very far from the Mother Church , dominating the old Casale of Rocca, it is situated the Church of the “Madonna della Catena”. Its construction dates back around the year 1000, as the style and the type of construction show. The inner walls, the tower-bell and the façade looking at Milazzo, still preserve their architectural and ornamental patterns made of tile fragments well set on the lime walls.
The inner area is composed of a central nave and a side transept, divided by three walling columns. At the centre of the main nave there is a walling altar surmounted by a big oil painting of the Madonna della Catena enriched by a monumental golden baroque frame.
Along the side nave, we can admire a painting of the Pietà, XVI century, a big wooden crucifix, XVIII century, and a marble christening of the XVI century; at the end of the nave, on the right there is an ancient holy water stoup. From the little square next to the Church, we can admire a marvellous view from the gulf of Milazzo to the promontory of Tindari: The Eolian isles, like a frame, are the background.
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