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DEL BIANCO CHURCH
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It was rebuilt in the 13th century in Del Bianco Square using the building material taken from the demolition of the old church St Maria Della Misericordia, to which it is still dedicated. It is an aisleless church with altars of valuable marble. It is very interesting the basin with four twisted columns in lava stone, unfortunately plastered; inside the niche in the apse there is a group in golden wood with three characters (God the Father, Jesus Christ and Our Lady) representing the Mercy ( the Misericordia), by an unknown painter of the 16th, very well preserved, visible just in his feast-day. |
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On the left, In the Crucifix Altar, original sculptural group in stucco with four characters, dating back to the 15th century, on the altar a copy of Guido Reni ‘s S. Michele Arcangelo, made by Michele Rapisardi. |
| The church was originally all decorated, but after the 1693 earthquake because of the restorations, was painted white without any rule respecting only the centre of the vault representing “The Triumph of the Faith on the Heresiarchs”, remarkable for the power of the foreshortenings. |  |
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Outside magnificent portal and window in lava stone made in 1400,
the old part of the church demolished. Another lithic portal dating
back to 1734 is in Via Vittorio Emanuele.
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The tower bell in a different style is separate from the church and one has access by a small door with an original square window up both built in the same period of the central door. There are two bells dedicated to St. Maria Della Misericordia. The homonymous Confraternity made the biggest in 1302 and Venerando Leotta from Acireale made it; the smallest dates back to 1609. Also in this church there are funeral shelters at present inaccessible. |
