Mother Church of Santa Croce in Furnari

The history of the Santa Croce Church in Furnari

In the Metropolitan City of Messina, among the hills overlooking the Ionian Sea, the small town of Furnari rises, whose origins move between history and legend. Here, in 1375 the baron Biagio Furnari he had had his castle built, which also included a small chapel; about a century later, with the Saracen invasions, the castle and the chapel were destroyed, but in 1600 a large church was built on their ruins: what today has become the Mother Church in Furnari, dedicated to the Holy Cross.

The Holy Cross was carved in 1630 by Friar Innocent of Petralia and it was one of the few sacred furnishings to escape destruction caused by a lightning strike in 1652.
In 1929 the Church of Santa Croce underwent reconstruction interventions, while retaining the original structure.
Inside the Church are still preserved works of art witnesses of the passage of the centuries: statues of the fifteenth century, canvases of the seventeenth century, and various very ancient sacred furnishings.

The architecture of the Mother Church in Furnari

The Mother Church in Furnari is located in the northern quadrant of the town, between Via Castello and Via Madre Chiesa. Among the most interesting places of worship in the municipality, the parish of Furnari was completely rebuilt in 1929 on the foundations of the old seventeenth-century church.
The building is made up of the central body, while the bell tower is located in the rear area of ​​the church, where the castle chapel originally stood. From the outside, the building appears simple, but solid and imposing, slightly softened by the decorations of the door and the tympanum. A large clock with Roman numerals is visible on the bell tower.

Entering the Mother Church in Furnari you can admire various works of art including the Holy Cross, an oil canvas depicting the Our Lady of the Rosary and a pipe organ from 1637. On the canvas of the Rosary of Rosalia Novelli (1628-1688) is also depicted Saint Anthony of Padua, of which there is also a wooden statue from the 1400s.
Among the sacred furnishings of the Church, the small Carrara marble temple in which the sacred oils are kept is of particular beauty, as is the altar, with the marble sill on which it is represented St. Francis of Paul while crossing it Strait of Messina.

However, the work that undoubtedly attracts the majority of visitors to the Mother Church in Furnari is the Holy Cross of Friar Innocent of Petralia, commissioned in 1630 by the family Ravida.
Positioned on the high altar, the Cross is incredibly expressive and manages to convey to those who admire it, all the sense of Our Lord's sacrifice. A work of great artistic value, which was considered prodigious and therefore revered by the faithful, who also came from neighboring countries to adore it.

What you can do inside the Mother Church in Furnari and in the surroundings

Like the pilgrims of the past, today's tourists can go to the Mother Church in Furnari to admire the Holy Cross and the other works found in the church; those who wish can stay for mass and gather in prayer with the local community.
In Furnari, after visiting the Church of Santa Croce, you can also admire other religious buildings, such as the Church of the Madonna del Carmine or the Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova. Among the civil architectures, however, there are the Palazzo di Federico II (which currently houses the Town Hall) and the Palazzo Marziani, the eighteenth-century residence of one of the most important Sicilian noble families.

In Furnari, however, there are also other monuments that can be visited simply by taking a walk through the streets of the town: the Old Fountain in Piazza Orti, which once supplied all the houses of the town with water and which, if necessary, still performs its precious function today, the Monument to the Fallen of First and Second World War which is accessed from a beautiful tree-lined avenue, the Monument to the Fisherman located on the marina and the Dog monument in Piazza Marconi.

Visiting Furnari will also reveal sweet gastronomic secrets, such as sfinci of St. Josephwith ricotta cream, almond paste and of course the delicious Sicilian cannoli.
A holiday in Furnari can also be an opportunity to visit the surroundings along the Tyrrhenian coast, where with just 11,5 km of panoramic road you can reach the Marinello Lakes Nature Reserve e Tindari with its wonderful archaeological area, while to the east there is Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, about 8,6 km away, where you can visit the Cathedral of San Sebastiano or relax on the beach It will heat.

How to get to the Mother Church of Furnari

Furnari, in the Metropolitan City of Messina, can be reached by car from both Palermo and Messina thanks to the beautiful panoramic road that runs along the Tyrrhenian Sea. By train, book a ticket for the Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto stop and then continue for a short distance by bus.
The Mother Church in Furnari is located in Via Castello.