Church of San Martino in Corleone

Inhabited since prehistoric times as attested by archaeological finds found in Pietralunga and La Vecchia, Corleone is mentioned with the name of Corilioni in a notarial document from the first half of the fourteenth century and experienced various historical events that have also left evidence in its urban fabric as the Church of San Martino.

History of the Church of San Martino in Corleone

Established at the end of the XNUMXth century as parish of San Martino, the religious community most likely dates back even before the year XNUMX. Some scholars place the origin of the ecclesiastical community in the XNUMXth century when, it seems, the original nucleus of the Mother Church.
Dedicated to San Martino at the time of his birth, the Mother Church it hosted a community of priests who alternated with each other as manager and administrator of sacraments. This lasted until the Archpriest was born which assigned the task of taking care of the care of souls to a single Archpriest with the collaboration of two priests.
The project of the church was conceived by Antonino Canzoneri and Antonino Verro, two local master builders, who worked between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries even though they operated on a founding nucleus dating back to the year XNUMX which was later expanded during the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century the building was completed and it is hypothesized that in the following two centuries there were also noble chapels which were then incorporated into the part of the right nave of the church.

Architecture and works of art present in the Church of San Martino in Corleone

Dedicated to Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, the Mother Church of Corleone, also known as Duomo, has experienced several various troubled events. The first structure dates back to the Middle Ages except for the dome which was built only in the second half of the seventeenth century and subsequently modified in neoclassical style following the instructions of the architect Antonio Romano, who was also a priest.

The layout is of the basilica type with three naves divided by pillars characterized by centric arches, a semicircular apse with a windowed drum dome. Originally soberly built, the church saw a certain ornamental enrichment through the addition of stuccos and the creation of paintings.
Inside the two side naves there are five chapels on each side embellished with sculptures and canvases of a certain value, among which a marble relief from the school of Gagini representing the Baptism of Jesus is highlighted, which is inserted inside a small aedicule.
The wooden sculptures present such as those of San Filippo d'Agira, San Ludovico, San Biagio and Sant'Apollonia are worth appreciating even if it is the group of the Madonna dell'Itria, due to its majesty, that attracts the visitor's interest. Also noteworthy is the sixteenth-century inlaid choir made of walnut wood by Giuseppe Li Volsi from Nicosia in mannerist style.
Don't miss the two altarpieces at the edges of the transept created by Frà Felice da Sambuca depicting the Communion of the Blessed Bernardo and San Leoluca who saves the town of Corleone from the plague.

What is possible to do in the surroundings of the Church of San Martino in Corleone

It is not just the Church of San Martino in Corleone that is the only tourist attraction as the town deserves to be carefully explored.
Il Ethnographic Museum, with over two thousand objects attributable to peasant and artisan civilization, located inside a former monastery, is an unmissable stop to learn about the popular traditions of the Corleone area. The Museum collects finds that can be dated from the end of the 40th century to the end of the XNUMXs, organized in a museum itinerary by the ethnoanthropologist Filippo Salvatore Oliveri who also structured spaces where environments such as some artisan workshops were reconstructed , a bedroom, a kitchen and so on.

Il Sant'Agostino monumental complexThe convent of Sant'Agostino, built around the thirteenth century, was a complex consisting of a church with a single central nave which, over the course of time, was richly decorated with polychrome marble and fine wooden paintings.

Furthermore, the Municipal villa it is the main meeting place of the city. It was designed in the mid-nineteenth century following the model of a classic Italian garden. In 1885, the bronze half-bust in honor of King Vittorio Emanuele and a marble one in homage to the protagonist of the revolt against the Bourbons, Francesco Bentivegna, were placed.

How can you get to the Church of San Martino in Corleone

By car:, from Palermo take the expressway to Agrigento until the Bolognetta junction and then continue towards Marineo on Strada Statale 118 following the signs for Corleone.

From Catania, take the A19 Catania-Palermo motorway until the junction that leads to the expressway to Agrigento until the Bolognetta junction and then continue towards Marineo on State Road 118 following the signs for Corleone.