Saint Francesco and Immaculate’s Church

Inside the St. Francesco from Assisi’s Church there are the Queen Eleanor of Anjou’s remains, who was the Frederick II of Aragon’s wife, and who died in 1343, according to the legend, she asked the construction of this church (over the Temple of Minerva’s ruins) in 1329. This Church is popularly known as the Immaculate’s one due to the eighteenth-century wooden statue kept in the chapel on the right of the presbytery showing the Virgin Mary.

The facade has semicolumns that realize characteristic games of lights and shades. A lot of Sicilian artists’ artworks are kept inside, such as the copy of Raffaello’s painting created by Giacomo Vignerio in 1541, the Bagnasco statue representing the Immaculate (XVII century), “The immaculate with S. Francesco and the Purgatory’ souls” painted by P. Liotta, “San Giuseppe in ecstasy ” pictured by G. Rapisardi (1799-1859) and the fake dome’s frescoes made by Olivio Sozzi, just to name a few.

Moreover, the Church holds six of the eleven “Candelore”, including those of florists and gardener’s groups and the delicatessen’s ones, which parade through the city streets during the feast of St. Agatha.