Completed in 1668, the Church of Purgatorio (also known as St. Stephen) stands along Corso Ruggero in Cefalù, fronted by a double staircase. The site was previously occupied by an older St. Stephen church and the Chapel of Santa Margherita, established in 1466 by the Giaconia family. In 1601, the Confraternity of the Black Friars acquired the adjacent plots to erect the present building.
What to see
The exterior features a Baroque portal reached by twin flights of stairs, facing a small square whose pavement was lowered in 1868. Of its original two towers, the left one features a spired bell tower, while the unfinished right tower is partially concealed by a later building. Inside, monolithic column shafts separate the space into three aisles. Key features include the Chapel of the Crucifix and the 1614 Chapel of St. Peter the Apostle, which houses a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows once cared for by the butchers' guild. Above the main altar hangs a large 1813 canvas portraying Christ offering the Eucharist to souls in purgatory. The church also holds the marble sarcophagus of Baron Enrico Pirajno di Mandralisca, sculpted by Palermitan artist Salvatore Valenti and placed here in 1867.
Visiting
Beneath the floor lies a crypt containing the bodies of members of the Confraternity of the Black Friars. The church has also served as the seat of the Congregation of the Virgin since 1895.
Our editors' tip
Stand at the bottom of the twin staircase along Corso Ruggero to observe the contrast between the symmetrical base walls restored in 1927 and the asymmetric towers above.