The church of the Carmine, sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with its convent, stands on the hill of Serro del Carmine, once Serro di Sant'Andrea, overlooking much of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The Carmelites settled here on 25 August 1579, in a convent built next to the old church of Sant'Andrea; the legal foundation of church and convent dates from 26 August 1583, when Pozzo di Gotto was still a village of Milazzo. The friars enlarged the oratory of Sant'Andrea and rebuilt the chapels of the Crucifix and of the Madonna della Catena.
What to see
The forecourt is reached by a flight of steps between two pyramid-topped pinnacles. The façade has a central section between two large pilasters crowned by pinnacles with stone spheres, the Carmelite coat of arms above the doorway and, in the pediment, a blind oculus with a statuette of the Virgin. The interior has three naves, in white and antique pink with details in pure gold leaf; on the entrance wall the choir loft holds the organ pipes on either side of a stained-glass window. Originally the high altar had a painting of Our Lady of Mount Carmel between Saint Simon Stock and Saint Cyril, later replaced by the wooden statue of the Madonna.
The 1783 earthquake badly damaged the church; that of 1908 brought down the two bell towers of the façade. Then came the chapel of Saint Joseph, in 1927 the grotto with Our Lady of Lourdes and in 1935 the new high altar. In 1987 paintings by Filippo Vescosi and his son Antonino, active in the town between 1773 and 1824, were stolen or damaged.
Visiting
After the Gulf of Patti earthquake of 16 April 1978 the church was closed for a long time for consolidation, and work has also involved the bell tower with its onion spire. Openings and times should be checked with the parish.
Our editors' tip
In 1860, shortly before the convent was closed, the complex was turned into a military hospital for the wounded of the battle of Milazzo of 20 July, and later became a civilian hospital.
