Mother Church of the Holy Trinity of Bronte

Bronte is famous for a food specialty that is grown here today as in the past: the famous pistachio.

But history has also passed through this village from the Middle Ages to the Risorgimento, leaving indelible traces such as the Church of the Holy Trinity, Also known as Mother Church of Bronte.

History of the Mother Church of Bronte

The Mother Church of Bronte that can be seen today was built during the XNUMXth century through the fusion of two pre-existing churches which were the Church of SS. Trinity of Norman origin and the adjacent one Major Church of Santa Maria which had an interior consisting of three naves supported by a dozen sandstone columns embellished with Corinthian style capitals and a trussed roof. The small Church of the SS. Trinità extended where the transept is now present with the side entrance where the altar of the Crucifix in baroque style is now located.

The final modification of the two churches grouped into a single one also determined the change in the name of the sacred building which, at the beginning of the XNUMXth century was assigned with the title of Mother Church of the SS. Trinity. However, inside it is possible to decipher what remains of the two churches. In fact, on the north wall you can see the corner of the ancient church of Santa Maria with the ogival entrance door made of sandstone ashlars dominated by a small mask. Also in the northern part you can glimpse the buttress of the wall and on the left and right sides of the main entrance both the floor and other elements also made of limestone are evident. Connoisseurs will be able to identify near the chapel of the Addolorata, a room consisting of a rustic external wall and a tiny single-lancet window as well as, on the south side of the building, half-columns, architraves and other small ogival windows in sandstone.

Also noteworthy is the bell tower which was built at the end of the XNUMXth century in the same period in which the two altars in stone can also be dated. Baroque present inside the Mother Church of Bronte.

Architecture and works of art present in the Mother Church of the Santissima Trinità in Bronte

The Mother Church of Bronte does not have a well-defined architectural style as it is essentially the union of two churches and for this reason it is particularly elementary, presenting a Latin cross plan with a central nave and two side naves which house two chapels each while two others are placed at the bottom. There is an apse choir and a wooden parietal one characterized by seats worked with inlays which is dominated by an important organ.

The central nave is held up thanks to twelve sandstone columns embellished with Corinthian-style capitals significantly strengthened in the 1614th century to resist possible earthquakes. Entering through the main door you can see how the Church of Santa Maria was made, thanks to the floor, three columns and an arch made of limestone and left as they were originally. Beautiful in the transept framed by two Baroque style altars admirably restored at the end of the nineteenth century. Note the ancient baptismal font dated XNUMX in sculpted marble at the entrance on the right nave.

Inside there are friezes, stuccos and gildings that embellish the Mother Church of Bronte which houses, in a chapel, the statue of the Madonna dell'Addolorata.

What is possible to do near the Mother Church in Bronte

Do not miss the Nelson Castle, created from a fortified XNUMXth century abbey commissioned by King William the Good and offered to the monks of the valley. In the eighteenth century this religious building was transformed into a castle within which there was space for a residential area and a park. It was King Ferdinand of Bourbon who gave the castle to Admiral Nelson as a gift of recognition for the help received during the revolution in Naples. The building nowadays is divided between homes and museum spaces where you can see many memorabilia of Admiral Nelson.
We suggest visiting the historic center of Bronte by walking along Corso Umberto up to Piazza Spedalieri and stopping to admire the eighteenth-century Royal Capizzi College.

Weather permitting we recommend reaching nearby Randazzo whose historic center reveals its medieval origins. Worth visiting Church of Santa Maria in the Latin Quarter, that of San Nicola in the Greek quarter e Saint Martin walk in the Lombardy neighborhood.

Alternatively, we suggest theexcursion of the Etna park or that of the Nebrodi.

How is it possible to get to Bronte

By car:, from Catania take the highway to Paternò (SS 121) from Misterbianco and continue until the exit for Bronte taking the SS 284. From the Messina-Catania motorway after the junction for Taormina, exit at Fiumefreddo continuing on the SS 120 towards Randazzo and once you have crossed the town take the SS 284 for Bronte.