CHIUSA SCLAFANI

Chiusa Sclafani stands in the Palermo province on a slope at about 660m height, near the Serra dell’Omo Morto district. It has a total population of 3,700.

It was founded in the early 1300s by the Count Matteo Sclafani, and was successively ruled by Guglielmo I Peraltra, the Cardonas, the Gioenis and, finally, the Colonna family, who held it as far as the Feudalism was abolished in 1812.

The 1800’s Palazzo Bonfiglio and the remnants of a 1300’s castle now incorporated by other buildings, are the main attractions.

Several religious buildings are equally interesting. The Chiesa Madre dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Bari, is the result of various building phases. The original building dates back to the 14^th century, while the remaining part goes back to the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The interior is ornamented with fine works such as three 1600’s panels representing the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi and the Transfiguration.

The Chiesa di Santa Caterina contains a fine 1500’s tryptich depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints.

The Badia delle Benedettine is a religious complex with a lovely Baroque portal. It comprises the former Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata and the 1600’s monastery of the Olivetan Benedictine Fathers.

The city surroundings provide sites for interesting excursions such as the small village of San Carlo, at 239m a.s.l. in proximity to the Sosio river, with the renowned Rupe di Acristia containing the remains of an ancient fortification.