Santa Maria Immacolata, Catholic church in Belpasso, Italy.
Santa Maria Immacolata is a church in Belpasso with a rectangular facade divided by four large columns. The interior is organized into three naves separated by sturdy pillars, reflecting traditional Sicilian church design.
The church was built in 1700 to a design by the architect Bellia, replacing the earlier mother church of Malpasso destroyed in the 1693 earthquake. It kept the dedication to the Immaculate Conception and preserved much of the art from the old town, including a 17th-century wooden crucifix from the Confraternity of the Flagellants.
Inside, the chapel called "Cammaredda" holds the relics and the early 17th-century statue of Santa Lucia, Belpasso's patron saint, kept in a niche lined with red damask and gilded stucco. The reliquary of 1729/1744 contains a hand bone fragment that reached Malpasso in 1657. During Lent, the unfinished 1886 Crucifixion by Zenone Lavagna is displayed in the presbytery.
The church sits in Piazza Duomo and welcomes visitors interested in its architecture and religious objects. Regular services are held, making it a straightforward visit for those exploring the town.
The Campanone di Santa Lucia weighs an estimated 5,000–6,000 kg, stands 2.50 m tall and has a maximum diameter of 2.04 m. It bears reliefs of the Immaculate Conception on the east side and of Santa Lucia on the west. A Belpasso proverb has the bell say it weighs a hundred cantara and invites doubters to come down and weigh it.
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