The church of San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata, with the former convent of the Conventual Friars Minor, stands on piazza San Francesco d'Assisi, in the historic centre of Caltagirone, near the bridge of the same name. Local tradition has it that the convent was founded by Saint Francis himself; the first church, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, was built in Gothic forms in 1236 by Blessed Riccardo, one of his followers. Altered in the sixteenth century, with the Gagini at work on the site from 1592, it was rebuilt in Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693; of the Gothic structure a chapel with a cross vault remains, and thirteenth-century traces can be seen in the sacristy.
What to see
The façade, reached by a fan-shaped staircase, was completed after 1727 by the Catania architects Tommaso Amato and Francesco Battaglia. Four large high reliefs with coats of arms held by putti show the Marian symbols: the Palm, the Tower of David, the Gate of Heaven and the Cedar. In the centre, in the niche above the entrance, is the statue of the Immaculate carved in 1627 by Giovanni Travaglia of Palermo; higher up is the Franciscan emblem with the two crossed arms. The dome has no cap: it collapsed during building work on 24 November 1702 and was never finished. The bell tower dates from 1852, to a design by Salvatore Marino of Caltagirone.
Inside are a statue of the Immaculate dressed in robes embroidered in gold, attributed to Giuseppe Vaccaro, a wooden statue of Saint Anthony of Padua sheathed in silver, of 1677, and a large majolica nativity scene by Antonio Ragona, of the twentieth century.
Visiting
Since 1911 the former convent has housed the bishop's seat and the diocesan seminary. The church's opening and Mass times should be checked with the diocese of Caltagirone.
Our editors' tip
The small apse with a little dome that breaks the symmetry of the façade, on the right, recalls an event of 1807: in December a pyx with the consecrated hosts was stolen from the church of Santa Maria della Stella, and on Christmas Eve it was found intact on the steps of this church. There the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento Ritrovato was built.
