PETRALIA SOPRANA

Petralia Sottana stands at about 1,000 a.s.l. in the Madonie region, province of Palermo. The town, lying in the vicinity of the Imera River, is surrounded by beautiful woods and forests.

In times past it was closely linked with the neighboring Petralia Soprana. It started life as an hamlet in the 14^th century, expanding around the to-day’s town castle. It was ruled by illustrious families such as the Ventimiglias, the Cardonas, the Aragonas, the Moncadas and the Alvares de Toledo.

The visit of the town can begin in the Chiesa Madre dedicated to the Assumption. Although dating from the 17^th century, this shows clear marks of an earlier structure, whose evidence is provided by a late-Gothic portal incorporated into the right flank of the present fabric. The church interior is designed as a Latin-cross divided into nave and aisles, and contains various works of art. Worth-seeing are the 1600’s marble statue of the Madonna and Child, the 1600’s canvas depicting Christ at the sepulchre and the 1600’s marble sculpture of the Madonna of the Holy Rosary with St. Dominic and Saint Catherine.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Fontana or della Vittoria, the Baroque Chiesa di San Francesco, with a precious paintings of the Stimmate di San Francesco and a 1700’s wooden tabernacle, the Chiesa della Misericordia and the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità are also worth-seeing.

Off town, beyond the southern stretch of the Imera River, stands the Santuario della Madonna dell’Alto.