Church of the Conception
The Church of the Conception
At the beginning of the 17th century, on the street where numerous aristocratic palaces once stood, a church was erected thanks to the funding of the Montalbano family of Sambuca. Originally dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, the church was built to replace the 14th-century church located in the Adragna estate, which had been destroyed. In 1634, Calogero Montalbano, the legitimate successor of the founders, transferred ownership of the church to the Confraternity of Maria SS. della Concezione, where the Augustinian monks officiated. Consequently, the church was renamed the Church of the Conception.
The Chiaramonte portal, a remnant of the Church of San Nicolò, and the double covering of the single nave
The church is modest in size, but from the outside it stands out for its gabled façade, framed by large tuff pilasters, and for the beautiful portal in Chiaramonte style (Sicilian-Gothic) in white sandstone, coming from the now destroyed Church of San Nicolò di Adragna, located at the main entrance and declared a national monument in 1928. Aligned with the portal is a window with late Baroque volutes. The building has a load-bearing masonry structure, made of calcarenite sandstone ashlars and local stone. The rectangular plan, with a single nave and, at the end, a straight apse, is covered by a barrel vault, externally covered with a double pitch and a finish of Sicilian tiles.
Stuccos and frescoes, altarpieces, and marble sculptures
The interior is adorned with stuccos and geometric-themed frames featuring polychrome floral motifs. The frescoes on the vault, painted in 1844 by Ignazio De Miceli, depict the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise; the victory of the Immaculate Conception over the devil with Saint Michael and God the Father; and Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. In the side chapels, there are four altarpieces by the Capuchin Fra' Felice from Sambuca, representing Saint Vincent Ferreri and the Madonna with Saint Anthony of Padua (on the left), Saint Francis of Paola and the Good Death, and the Madonna of Sinners or of Mercy (on the right). Additionally, there is a wooden crucifix from the 17th century. In the niche above the main altar stands the beautiful marble statue of the Immaculate Conception from the first half of the 18th century, from the Palermo school. This was a privileged view for the residents of the aristocratic Palazzo Giacone Catalanotto, which had the right to overlook directly onto the presbyterial area of the church. The wooden "vara" - a beautiful processional float crafted by the Sambucese sculptors and engravers Bartolomeo and Leoluca Costanza, once used by the Confraternity to carry the statue of the Immaculate Conception through the streets on the feast day of December 8th - is now housed at the Mother Church. On either side of the presbytery, two exquisite stucco sculptures depict King David and King Solomon. These works are by the artist Vincenzo Messina, a student and collaborator of the Sicilian master Giacomo Serpotta, considered the greatest stucco artist in Europe.
The events of the church after the 1968 earthquake
The Church of the Conception, damaged by the devastating earthquake of 1968, was repaired in several phases over the years—starting in 1981, when the altar and the ambon in polychrome marble were added—and reopened for worship in 1985. The restoration work allowed for the recovery of the roof, masonry, floors, and finishes. Additional conservative restoration and maintenance work was carried out in 2016. This project mainly focused on replacing some finishing elements and performing routine maintenance. The frescoes and paintings throughout the church were restored to their original state by the decorator Tommaso Montana.
