The church of the Spirito Santo is a small church in Alcamo recorded since the late fifteenth century: the oldest public deed mentioning it dates from 11 May 1491, among the papers of the notary Giacomo Gruppuso, and is a grant of an isolated, tree-filled plot by the rectors of the Santissima Annunziata. The historian Ignazio De Blasi also cites a deed of sale of 1593 and a grant of 1549. The shape of the building, the tempera paintings and the main door facing west, as in the nearby chapel of San Giovanni Battista, suggest that the two churches date from the same period.
What to see
In the sixteenth century it was called the church of the Holy Angel, after the tempera frescoes of Saint Michael and the Guardian Angel; its present name comes from the vault fresco showing the Holy Spirit as a dove. Around the mid-eighteenth century it was restored by the priest Adragna.
On the altar is the Pentecost by the Trapani painter Mario Giambona, of 1703, originally intended for the chapel of Alcamo's hospital; once attributed to Giacomo Lo Verso, a pupil of Pietro Novelli, it shows the figures arranged almost in a circle around the Madonna, in the manner of Novelli's school. The painting is not in good condition.
Visiting
The church was once in the care of a chaplain chosen by the bishop of Mazara; today, according to the sources, it opens only on Pentecost Sunday and on 2 November. It is best to check beforehand.
Our editors' tip
Even when the church is closed, walk round to the east side: on the outer wall is a small Pentecost shrine with a painting on metal sheet.
