Mother Church (Madrice)
An architecture, a masterpiece of composite styles
The new construction from the 1600s is what we can admire today, although it was severely damaged by the 1968 earthquake. Built by local craftsmen under the guidance of Palermo engineers, the church displays a great richness of composite styles. It features a beautiful facade with high bases in tuff and an ancient entrance portal linked to 14th-century schemes, typical of the so-called Chiaramontano style—sometimes described as "in rough Arab-Norman style"—possibly originating from the internal chapel of the castle. According to some sources, it may have come from one of the churches in the destroyed Adragnus, a rural settlement elevated to the Casale of Adragna during the early Christian period. On the right side, facing Piazza Baldi Centellis, one can admire the ornate southern portal, inspired by Renaissance motifs combined with delicate Baroque influences. The bell tower, derived from one of the towers of the Saracen castle, is a rare gem of Western Sicilian architecture: supported by enormous yet harmonious acanthus leaves sculpted in tuff, it culminates with a pyramidal spire covered in polychrome ceramic tiles. Older is the portal on the main facade.
The Mother Church
We are at the Mother Church, one of the most important monuments in Sambuca di Sicilia, located in the oldest and highest part of the town.
From small chapel annexed to the Arab castle to Mother Church
Here, on part of the ancient Arab Castle of Zabut, on the cliff overlooking the town, a small church was built around 1420, originally dedicated to Saint Barbara and annexed to the castle. Expanding over the fortress area, incorporating the old Saracen defensive tower—later becoming the base of the current bell tower—the church was dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle. The spiral staircase made of sandstone blocks in concentric circles seems to date back to the same period, while the significant masonry work, traces of which are still present, dates to the mid-1600s. The church was indeed reconstructed and further expanded in 1642, thanks to the financial contribution of Marchesa Donna Giulia Baldi Centellis and her sister Maria. They commissioned Master Giacomo Busacca, who was active in other local projects, to finish the new Mother Church and sculpt the portal facing south, overlooking the side square. Upon completion, on February 12, 1651, the church was solemnly opened for worship and declared a "parish church under the title of Maria SS. Assunta." The religious function was attended by Marchesa Donna Giulia della Sambuca, accompanied by her husband, Don Giulio Pignatelli, her sister, Donna Maria Baldi Centellis, and the entire Sambuca community. In 1790, under the archpriest Don Gaetano Farace and Mayor Magnifico Don Gioacchino Viviani, important ornamental works were carried out in the central nave, the chapel, and the dome. As Dr. Vincenzo Navarro wrote in the Arpetta in 1836, thanks to the zealous care of the then-archpriest Vito Planeta—who later became abbot of the church of Santa Maria del Soccorso—the western entrance steps were rebuilt, and the church was enriched with interesting artworks and pleasing stuccos.
The rigor of the ancient interiors, the color of the 19th-century decorations
The church is accessed via a captivating staircase. Upon entering through the main portal, one discovers the interior, renovated and redecorated in the 19th century: the layout is in the Roman cross style, with three naves divided by columns supporting full arches. The walls, columns, real vaults, and massive cyclopean bases of hard tuff stone give the temple a rigor and cloistered harmony that captivates visitors. A Renaissance-inspired dome rises at the intersection of the transept and the central nave. Several paintings, attributed to Bentivegna, still emerge beneath the plaster, testifying to their antiquity, as do those restored and depicting Saint Peter, to whom the place of worship is dedicated. The church's color was brought by the stuccos from the early 19th century, designed by architect Salvatore Gravanti from nearby Sciacca. The lunettes above the windows were closed to create lower openings, while the ceiling of the apse was recreated with paintings by Ignazio De Miceli.
A treasure trove of artworks
The church is a treasure trove of artworks: the wooden triptych of the Crucifixion with Saints John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene set against a large wooden altarpiece depicting the "Tree of Martyrs" with reliquaries in place of the fruits (a work from the Trapani school of the 18th century); a canvas depicting the Three Crowned Saints from the Novelli school; a fresco detached from the wall of a chapel in the Church of St. George, attributed to the Sambucese artist Turano; a holy water font from the Gagini school; the large altarpiece depicting the Assumption, inspired by Tintoretto (and considered by some to be a copy of Titian's Assumption); and, to the right of the presbytery, a fresco by the Sambucese artist Gianbecchina from 1956. Before the 1968 earthquake, the church housed, as decorations for the altars, other canvases from Sicilian schools of the 17th and 18th centuries—depicting Jesus handing the keys of Heaven to St. Peter; the Madonna of the Milk between Saints Benedict and Dominic; the Ecstasy of St. John the Evangelist; and the Doctors of the Church by Fra’ Felice da Sambuca—and a Crucifixion, a wooden group by Fra Benedetto da Trapani from the Convent of the Capuchin Fathers: these works are now preserved in the Church of St. Michael. The frescoes on the vault, with Marian scenes, were done by Lorenzo Di Miceli in 1844. The church also contains two mausoleums for the Planeta family and one for Sister Vincenza Maria Amorelli, who died in 1824, known for her sanctity. The campanile features a pyramid-shaped spire and majolica tiles.
The wounds of the terrible 1968 earthquake
The Madrice - as the people of Sambuca call what is the oldest place of worship in their town - was severely damaged by the earthquake of January 15, 1968, which devastated the Belìce Valley. For many years, it symbolized the incomplete reconstruction that sadly marked the entire valley wounded by the earthquake. Even the majestic organ, gilded by brothers Antonio and Domenico Ferraro in 1882, was lost along with wall artworks, statues, and bronze pieces. A new organ was only purchased in 2020, more than 50 years later, thanks to a fundraising effort by the community. The structural consolidation and roof restoration work, carried out in several phases, took an extraordinarily long time, leading to the reopening in 2019 with a solemn Mass concelebrated by the Archbishop of Agrigento, Cardinal Francesco Montenegro. The inauguration ceremony, which concluded the events organized for the 51st anniversary of the earthquake, was attended by all the mayors of the Belìce municipalities. Thanks to a functional allocation from the last funds earmarked for the Belìce, the floor was renovated, the main altar was restored with a large stone block, and some roof consolidation work was completed.
