Basilica di San Vito Martire

2.1.10 Basilica of San Vito Martire The Church of San Vito is one of the oldest churches in Vizzini and is located near the Mother Church. At first it was called the Church of the Holy Spirit. In confirmation of this, above the entrance portal of the basilica, on the cornice we read: "BASILICA S. VITI SUB TITLE SPIRITU SANCTI" Built in the third century after Christ, on a large catacomb cave where worship took place at the time of the persecution of the ancient Christians, it became a church after the edict of Constantine (313 AD). And Di Marzio Ferro affirms: "After the martyrdom of San Vito an altar was built and subsequently the Church was united with the collateral Church of the Madonna dell’Itria, like this until the earthquake of 1693". After the earthquake of 1693, the Church was rebuilt in the early 1700s. The current church, in neoclassical style, is built in the place where there were two churches: S. Vito or Spirito Santo and Madonna dell'Itria, whose worship is still celebrated today. The exterior of the Basilica is imposing with framed pillars that support the polygonal section. A human head protrudes from the round portal, supporting a noble coat of arms with a dove carved in the center with outstretched wings on two cherubs holding up a crown, symbol of the Holy Spirit. The bell tower rises to the right of the main façade. The interior of the Church has three naves and there are: • an altar of the Gaginesca school, a splendid crucifix in carved wood and a small statue from the 1400s in carved wood depicting St. Michael the Archangel of the homonymous church, now half-destroyed; • a painting on canvas depicting the Divine Mother holding the Child Jesus; • a pictorial work entitled "Lent", a gigantic work by Francesco Inquanti. Also inside the church is the fercolo ("vara") of San Michele Arcangelo, coming from the church of the same name, now in ruins. Of particular interest is the dome of the bell tower embellished with arabesques of clear Moorish style. The Corinthian capitals of the columns feature acanthus leaves in the most perfect Renaissance canons. The columns rest on two grandiose pedestals with drum façades. In the Basilica there is still an important reliquary of the Saints of the first Christian era, granted to the Church of the Holy Spirit by Pope Clement VIII on January 15, 1691. In the Church there is also a crypt, which is accessed through a trap door lying in the central nave. At the beginning of the Christian era, the crypts were also used as a church and were used for the conservation of the bodies of the Saints. Later they were used for the preservation of deceased people of high social ranks. Inside the crypt of the Church, which contains 53 niches, there is an altar with a hemispherical vault resting on the support cornice. The church was managed coordinated by the brotherhood of the holy spirit. Its origin is very ancient. People from all social classes belonged to the brotherhood: priests, professionals, nobles, workers, farmers, shepherds. The Vizzinese historian Giovanni Catalano writes about this brotherhood: "... The exceptional reliquary containing numerous human remains of saints and martyrs; the Paleochristian Crypt; the Chapel of the Sacred Heart; the artistic Portal of Gagini, now refitted on the presbytery on the back of the High Altar; the Matronèo; the display case containing the uniform worn by the Confrati dello Spirito Santo, are the testimony of a significant historical reality of a past on which time, which devours and destroys everything, has shown generosity in leaving a visible legacy of works of art, undisputed citizenship of Vizzinese and tourists who, with wisdom, appreciate its content ".

Visit under the church. A surprise