Santa Maria Maddalena, Baroque church in Ciminna, Italy

Santa Maria Maddalena, the main church of Ciminna, has a three-nave interior divided by pillars and covered by a wooden roof. Its bell tower dates from 1519, and the apse area retains the asymmetries of Norman-inspired construction. The facade plaster, originally white, was given its red tone in the 18th century.

The church existed by 1230, likely attached to Ciminna's castle, and was probably destroyed in the Angevin raid of 26 June 1326. Matteo Sclafani had a new church built in 1333, dedicated to San Giovanni Battista; archival sources date its foundation to 1350 under the title Santa Maria Maddalena. Rebuilt after becoming a parish church, it retains a bell tower begun in 1519 and completed in 1550, when the largest bell was cast.

The church is also known as the chiesa madre, the main church of Ciminna. Its name honours Mary Magdalene, who appears in the apse stuccoes of 1622 with the inscription "APOSTOLA APOSTOLORUM". Part of Luchino Visconti's film Il Gattopardo was shot here.

The church stands in Ciminna's historic centre, the town being reached by road from Palermo. The bell tower of 1519, completed in 1550 when the largest bell was cast, rises above the surrounding rooftops and serves as a landmark for orientation. The interior is divided into three naves by pillars under a wooden roof.

The church was used as a filming location for part of Luchino Visconti's film Il Gattopardo. Its bell tower dates from 1519, and an inscription recorded its completion in 1550, the year the largest bell was cast.