In July 1544, the Ottoman corsair Barbarossa laid siege to Lipari, leaving the island devastated in an event remembered as la ruina. The following year, under orders from Emperor Charles V and Pope Paul III, the Church of the Souls in Purgatory was constructed in 1545 at the center of the pier in Marina Corta. Located on a site affected by volcanic bradyseism, the church and its subsiding coastline were recorded in a painting by the German artist Jakob Philipp Hackert.
What to see
The interior features a single nave. Above the main altar hangs a painting depicting the Virgin with souls in purgatory, attributed to Francesco Albani. The right side altar displays a canvas of the Annunciation, while the left wall contains the Presepe del Mare, a sea nativity scene. The interior also houses wooden statues of Saints Cosmas and Damian.
Outside, the small bell tower reflects Norman architectural influences with a central octagonal spire flanked by four pinnacles, similar to the nearby Church of San Giuseppe and the cathedral bell tower in Messina. Beneath the building lies a 200-square-meter hypogeum crypt, likely an early Christian temple that was later used as a warehouse to store agricultural tithes for the poor.
Visiting
The church played a role in modern local history in 1911, when it served as a hideout for Angelo Paino prior to his escape from the island during a dispute over pumice quarries. In the 1970s and 1980s, the space was used for the Fish Festival held during the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Following restoration work initiated in 1994, the building reopened on July 2, 2016.
Our editors' tip
Take time to examine the unique design of the bell tower, whose central octagonal spire and pinnacles illustrate the influence of Norman tower architecture in northeastern Sicily.