Madonna delle Grazie, Romanesque church in Misterbianco, Italy

Madonna delle Grazie is a church in Misterbianco whose facade, topped by statues of Christ the King, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, faces Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII. Inside, three naves are decorated with 1935 frescoes by Giuseppe Barone showing the evangelists John and Luke in the apse. The large crypt at street level now holds the civic museum of sacred art.

The church was built a few weeks after the 1669 Etna eruption, initially not as the main church: that role was planned for the nearly simultaneous San Nicolò. Its facade was modeled on the destroyed main church, and only part of the old bell tower remains from the earlier structure.

Locals call the church "matrice", the mother church, though it was built as a secondary one after the 1669 eruption. In the right apsidal chapel stands the 1589 marble Madonna delle Grazie of the Gagini school, rescued from the earlier church of Campanarazzu when lava destroyed it. Giuseppe Barone and his pupil Pippo Giuffrida painted the chapel panels, one showing the Annunciation of 1936.

The building is accessed through the central plaza where all three main entrances are located, giving you a clear view of the exterior before entering. The underground crypt with its museum section can be reached from this same plaza, offering another layer to explore when visiting.

A statue of Madonna delle Grazie created in 1589 by the Gagini school survived the 1669 eruption and remains in the church today. This artwork is a rare testament to how artistic heritage persisted through a natural disaster.