GERACI
SICULO
Geraci
Siculo is a town of the Palermo province standing at 1077m a.s.l.
and counting nearly 2,400 inhabitants.
It
was long dominated by the Arab, from 840 to the early 11th century.
In 1072, it became the capital city of a county bearing its same
name. Among the city counts there were the well-known Ventimiglias.
In 1438, under Giovanni, one of the family members, the city became,
earliest in Sicily, a Marquisate.
The
main building is the Chiesa Madre dedicated to the Madonna della
Neve. Much altered throughout the centuries, it houses a prized
1400’s painting depicting the Annunciation and a Treasure
including reliquaries and chalices.
The
Chiesa di Santo Stefano is of possible 1600’s origin. Especially
renowned for the splendid baroque stuccoes that adorn its interior
and a painting representing the Martyrdom of St. Stephen.
Other
buildings deserve a mention such as the 1300’s Chiesa di Sant’Anna
– incorporated within the castle of which very few remains.
The church is open only on 8 September for the celebration of the
Virgin. The 1400’s Chiesa di Santa Maria la Porta, built on
the site of an older building, is especially known for housing a
1400’s Byzantine fresco depicting the Virgin and Child; finally
there is the 1400’s Collegio di Maria housing a small church.
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