Chiesa San Giuseppe

It is a very old church, it dates back to the end of the Saracen raids when the first constructions began outside the fortress, near which it is located. The church belongs to an abandoned convent which is undergoing renovation and preserves several works of the time, including a statue of St. Joseph, unfortunately stolen several years ago and a crucifix recently restored and returned to worship. The renovation of other works of art is also planned

The church, which dominates Largo S. Giuseppe, is accessed via a wide staircase that leads from the road to the churchyard. The very simple elevation is set on a stone base and is marked by two lateral pilasters which support the pediment. Today's appearance of the church derives from some restoration works carried out by the Superintendency in 1951, which demolished the front part by rebuilding the more backward prospect. In fact, it is easy to notice on the residual structures of the convent the hints of the gallery turned in an advanced position with respect to the current elevation and, moreover, analyzing the internal scan of the nave, one realizes the interruption of the same and the lack of the initial niche. On the facade there are also two bell towers: one, on the right, without a bell is placed above one of the lateral buttresses, the other, on the left, is sail with two bells. On the side, not plastered, two buttresses were built in 1910 to make the building damaged by the 1908 earthquake more stable. Next to the church are the remains of the convent complex consisting of a portion of the cloister in which it has recently occurred a further collapse. The interior has a single nave covered with a barrel vault built in 1994 to replace the wooden trussed roof damaged by a fire. The walls are marked by pilasters and controlesene with a composite capital that define the niches for the altars. The apsidal area is separated from the nave by means of a triumphal arch decorated with a shell motif; on the flat back wall, two pointed arch openings lead to the sacristy behind. The convent was almost certainly founded in 1614 as indicated by Giovanni Fiore. The dating is also supported by the presence of two Relationes ad Limina: in the first, dated 1603, only the convent of S. Francesco di Paola is mentioned, in the second, dated 1641, the one of the immaculate Conception is also mentioned. The earthquake of 1783 damaged the convent to the point that the friars had to abandon it. The construction of the church was promoted in 1627 by the Prince of Roccella Fabrizio Carafa (1629) who built it at his own expense by naming it the Immaculate Conception as recalls the plaque preserved inside. The coat of arms of the Carafa house is represented together with the symbols of some of the titles of which Prince Fabrizio could boast: the three-band coat of arms crossed by the thorn is surmounted by the princely crown and surrounded by the necklace of the golden Toson. The inscription lists all the titles that had been conferred on him and recalls his intervention in the construction of the church. In 1798 the Confraternity of St. Joseph took up residence in the church, determining the change of title; during the 19th century the church was used as a branch of the ancient Matrix for the celebration of ordinary functions. The high altar is in Baroque style: on tall pedestals rise two columns with a composite capital next to which two volutes are placed just above the entrances to the sacristy; an overhanging entablature connects to a gorge crowned by spirals and decorated with cherubs. At the base of the right column you can still see the silhouette of an eagle to refer, probably, to the family crest of Livia Doria del Carretto of the Dukes of Tursi (1745-1779) who had married Prince Vincenzo Carafa in 1760 (1739 -l8l4) and who had perhaps contributed to the construction of the altar. Inside there is a canvas depicting St. Joseph, unfortunately very deteriorated perhaps even following the fire that broke out in 1994. On the left wall a niche houses the canvas of the immaculate Conception. There are numerous tombstones, among which the oldest is that of Domenico Totino (1644-1698), belonging to a noble Roccellese family. (From the book CHIESE DI ROCCELLA JONICA by Eleonora Uccellini, edited by Simonetta Valtieri - Gangemi Editore, 2006, pp. 266-268)

This small church is located towards the Caraffa Castle. Bellina. There is also the feast of Saint Joseph in spring with stalls and music

Whether for the Church .... pacifier ballad. ..panzerotti 🤗

Very pretty