Mezzojuso is a town of nearly 3,100
inhabitants, in the province of Palermo. It stands on the slopes of the La
Brigna Hill at 534m a.s.l.
Settled by Albanian communities around the
1400s, it was long ruled by the Corvinos, Dukes of Villavaga. It has two Mother
Churches: one, Norman in origin and dedicated to the Annunciation, is used by
Roman Catholics; the other, dedicated to St. Nicholas and dating from the 16th
century, is used by the Greek Catholics.
Mezzojuso has other interesting buildings like the 1500’s Chiesa
di Santa Maria delle Grazie, with an adjacent convent, that is used by
Greek Catholics and preserves some fine medallions representing the Doctors
of the Greek Catholic Church and the sarcophagus of A. Reres, the founder of the convent in the 17th century.