Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate in Serradifalco

La Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate in Serradifalco it was commissioned by Baron Lo Faso at the end of the seventeenth century. However, in the mid-eighteenth century, the building was unable to contain the large community of the hills, so it was rebuilt in 1747. Since then, the Church has undergone restoration and embellishment interventions in various periods.

The history of Serradifalco and the Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate

The Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate is located in Serradifalco, a town in the province of Caltanissetta in the hilly region between Platani river and Salso river. The inhabited center, according to a legend, owes its name to the hawks that nest among the cliffs.

The construction of the original nucleus of the town is the work of Francesco Graffeo, first baron of Serradifalco who, in 1640, obtained the license to populate the feud. Baron Graffeo with the help of his grandmother, Donna Maria Ventimiglia and Sarzana, administrator of the family affairs, commissioned the construction of the first houses and also of a church.

In 1652 the noble title with the feud was sold to Duke Leonardo Lo Faso who built a new church as a symbol of his devotion to San Leonardo di Noblac. The ancient statue of San Leonardo is placed in the high altar, which was previously located in the Church of San Francesco di Paola.

The architecture of the Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate in Serradifalco

In the mid-eighteenth century the Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate was no longer able to accommodate the community of Serradifalco which had become very numerous therefore in 1747 the reconstruction works of the building began and ended in 1791.

The definitive structure has a hall plan with a single longitudinal space and the central portal is enriched by a bas-relief of the Pietà, while the side doors are surmounted by niches containing the statues of the Immaculate Virgin and St. Leonardo the Abbot. Inside the church, the hall and the choir are covered by barrel vaults and the walls are in the Corinthian order. In the 1828th century decorations, stuccos, fixtures and many furnishings were added, the organ was also commissioned from a Neapolitan craftsman and the dome was completed in XNUMX. In the twentieth century the Church underwent several changes, in fact the painter Leopoldo Messina created the canvas of the Baptism of Jesus, placed on the baptismal font and painted two frescoes behind the choir: Jesus and the children and Jesus enters Jerusalem.

What to see in Serradifalco and its surroundings

La Church of San Francesco di Paola it is the first sacred building in the town and was built to give Baron Francesco Graffeo the blessing of the saint. The upper order of the facade houses the statues of the Madonna delle Grazie and San Francesco di Paola. On the key of the portal in 1665 the feudal family of Lo Faso had their coat of arms affixed. Inside, a niche in the main altar houses the statue of the Madonna del SS. Rosary with the Child Jesus in her arms, a work from 1862, and two chapels house the statues of Santa Germana di Cousin and San Francesco di Paola.

North of Serradifalco a San Cataldo, you find thearchaeological area of ​​Vassallaggi, a prehistoric site from the Bronze Age which preserves traces of a settlement of Greek settlers from Rhodes and Crete. Archaeologists have brought to light tombs, remains of walls, houses and urban layouts which bear witness to the flourishing past of the inhabitants of the hills.

Northeast of the town is the Soprano lake, a natural elliptical body of water that hosts many species of aquatic birds and various mammals typical of Sicily such as the fox and the weasel. Called "Cuba lake" for the arid and barren environment that recalls Caribbean sceneries, it is the destination of many excursions every year.

How to get to Serradifalco

The Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate in Serradifalco is located in the heart of the historic center in Piazza Madrice.

The church is accessible by car from Caltanissetta with the SS640. At the Serradifalco exit, continue on the SP46 and follow the signs for Corso Garibaldi then towards Via Rosolino Raimondi, turn right onto Via Sferrazza and finally take Piazza Madrice.