Chiesa Madre San Nicolo di Bari

Church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, is located in Piazza Duomo in Roccella Valdemone and is considered one of the most beautiful churches of the diocese of Messina. Of Romanesque style, it is structurally divided into three naves, delimited by two rows of columns in local sandstone. The three naves are surmounted by a wonderful wooden roof, while the top part of the arch that defines the central apse is reconstructed, probably after the earthquake of 1693, using, partly materials recovered after the collapse and partly using different materials from the original ones, such as terracotta bricks that matched with stone and white walls create a pleasant chromatic effect. At the end of the left aisle, looking at the altar, you can admire a bas-relief by Antonello Gaggini depicting the nativity in the center, while on the sides are depicted San Nicola di Bari and San Giovanni Battista. In fairly recent times it has undergone an impressive, skilful restoration that, while on the one hand it contributed to the preservation of the structure, on the other it brought to light elements of the structure that over the years had been covered with plaster. During this restoration an altar was placed with the base depicting a Corinthian capital, taken from one of the column capitals, while the floor was replaced with a Sicilian terracotta flooring drawn by hand. The interior walls are occupied by large paintings of artists from the sixteenth century and depicting biblical episodes and lives of saints. The exterior of the church has undergone a modification to its original structure, when, in the thirties of the twentieth century, a spire bell tower was added.

The cathedral dedicated to San Nicola di Bari is the most important church in the country and is dedicated to its patron saint. The building dates back to 1625, the interior has three naves. We find the transept, three rectangular apses, twelve monolithic sandstone columns with Corinthian capitals and a wooden ceiling. Among the works present we find the Nativity of Christ with the statues of Giovanni Battista and Nicolò di Bari, in the right apse, a work begun by Antonello Gagini in 1526 but completed by his son Giacomo in 1540. I also point out eight valuable paintings by unknown authors that embellish the side aisles of the Matrix: San Pasquale Baylon, the glory of the Society of Jesus, Saints Cosma and Damiano, the Guardian Angel, the Annunciation of the Angel to the Virgin Mary, Maria Porta Coeli, the Souls in Purgatory and the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

Holy place very dear to my heart! Ancient and living history in the center of the great native country

There are works of fine arts.

Tightly held