Mother Church of Marineo

La Mother Church of Marineo it is one of the first buildings built in the country. Its structure dates back to the 500th century and has notable riches such as the Baroque altar in polychrome marble and the tabernacle. There Parish of Saints Cyrus and George guards the skull of San Ciro.

The story of Marineo and its Mother Church dedicated to Saints Ciro and Giorgio

Il country of Marineoin province of Palermo it was built in 1549 at the behest of the Sicilian nobleman Francesco Beccadelli of Bologna who obtained the populandi license from King Charles V. In 1553 the village was already made up of one hundred houses and the Church of Santa Maria, but Marineo became a large center under the guidance of Marquis Gilbertoson of Francis.

In a few years the buildings were doubled and another building of worship was built to accommodate the community. In fact, the Marquis, despite the economic difficulties inherited from his father's bad asset management, spared no expense and chose the most capable architects and technicians of his time to expand the village. He builds it Mother Church, dedicated to St. George, which responds to the aesthetic tastes of the late Renaissance, in fact has stone columns and cross vaults in the side aisles and is also so large in size that it can also meet current needs.
On 20 August 1665, Pope Alexander VII granted the Marquis Girolamo Pilo Bologna, the new owner of the feud, the skull of San Ciro which keeps it in the Church of San Giorgio. In the XNUMXth century the XNUMXth century building, also named after San Ciro, is distorted. In fact, the structure is undergoing restoration and reconstruction works which erase many original elements and transform the Mother Church into a neoclassical work.
The valuable original decorations are covered by stuccoes with floral motifs and furthermore in the first half of the XNUMXth century the presbytery was enlarged with a sixth span which makes the structure disharmonious.

The architecture and works kept in the Mother Church of Marineo

The Mother Church of Marineo has a Latin cross plan with three naves and a bell tower surmounted by a dome. Inside, one of the most valuable elements is thebaroque altar in polychrome marble dedicated to San Ciro which dates back to 1737 and on whose sides are placed the statue of San Giovanni di Edessa and Santa Anastasia, both disciples of San Ciro. The altar like the silver urn that holds the relics of the patron saint, was built at the expense of the Marquis Ignazio Pilo, owner of the feud.
A shield-shaped plaque commemorates his devotion to the Saint and in 1730 the Church was enriched with an oil painting representing "San Ciro in gloria". The oval tabernacle in white marble is a valuable work by an artist who works in the workshop of the sixteenth-century sculptor Antonello Gagini. The Church is also embellished by a wooden statue in neoclassical style "The Immaculate Conception of Mary" performed by Vincenzo Genovese and by the canvases representing "The good and the bad death", the "Regina Angelorum", "San Pietro" and "Santa Rosalia". The monstrance and other sacred furnishings in gold and silver date back to 1736.

What to see in Marineo and its surroundings

In addition to the Mother Church, Marineo hosts civil and religious buildings not to be missed. In the same square of the Church dedicated to the Patron Saint there are in fact theOratory of the SS. Sacrament, Church of St. Vincent Ferrer and municipal building. The oldest building in the village is the Church of SS. Sacrament originally dedicated to Santa Maria. Founded in 1556 by Francesco di Bologna, it has a single nave and is rather bare, but preserves a valuable XNUMXth century wooden Crucifix and a large XNUMXth century canvas depicting the "Madonna with San Ciro and Santa Rosalia".
The residence of the marquises is the Castle, a building built in 1559 which presents the classic structure of noble residences with a large reception hall on the noble floor and the rooms for the servants on the ground floor. Today is there headquarters of the Archaeological Museum of the Eleuterio Valley.

How to get to the Mother Church of Marineo

By car:, from Palermo take the E90 from Via Roma, exit at Villabate and follow the SS121 towards Agrigento. Take the junction for Corleone/Marineo/Bolognetta and take the SS118. At the roundabout continue on the SS118 and follow the signs for Corso dei Mille, the Mother Church of Marineo in Piazza S. Sigolene is located 170m on the left.

© Image by Mad Thinker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons