SANT'ANGELO DI BROLO
Sant’Angelo di Brolo is a town of the province
of Messina, lying 314m a.s.l. and totalling about 4,650 inhabitants.
Mentioned in some documents from the late
1200s, it becomes a city in its own right at the close of the 15th
century. Its growth is largely rooted in the silkworm breeding that flourished
in the subsequent centuries.
Its most attractive building is the Chiesa
Madre dedicated to Saint Mary. Its interior is divided into three naves and
contains several works of art like two 1500’s marble statues representing the Madonna
del Lume and the Madonna col Bambino.
The Church dedicated to Saints Philip and James
is located in the old side of the town. Flanked by an unfortunately damaged
1600’s bell-tower, it retains its original 1500’s structure with three naves
and preserves numerous prized pieces, such as a 1500’s marble sculpture
representing the Annunciation, a 1500’s fresco depicting Saint Stephen
and a 1700’s wooden sculpture representing the Madonna del Carmine and Saint
Simon.
The former Convent of Saint Michael the
Archangel is also much interesting. Unfortunately, both its furnishings and
a rich library were lost following an earthquake in 1450 that destroyed the
building. The complex was successively rebuilt and declared a National
patrimony.