PIAZZA GARIBALDI AND THE CATHEDRAL – SANTA MARIA LA NOVA AND SAN MICHELE
Every city has its main square: in Caltanissetta, the core of the old town is formed by Piazza Garibaldi, where the two main streets, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Umberto I, meet. With a vaguely quadrangular shape, the square has been repaved between 2008 and 2009 with lava flagstones, within the project of revamping of the old town called “La grande piazza” , and hosts in the middle the Fontana del Tritone, whose structure has been designed by the architect Gaetano Averna and is enriched by the bronze statue of the great Caltanissetta sculptor Michele Tripisciano. Looking south, we see before us the palazzo del Carmine, seat of the City Council, while on the west and east side, the Church of Saint Sebastian, with its purple and pale blue façade, and the Cathedral face each other. The latter, with its clean and stern façade, characterised by two symmetric steeples, overlooks the square: built starting from 1570, the church takes the name Santa Maria la Nova to distinguish itself from the previous Chiesa Madre, later called Santa Maria la Vetere. Already active at the end of 1500, it was officially completed in 1622, although it became the Cathedral only in 1844, when Caltanissetta became the Bishop’s Seat. Today, the Church, whose interiors are sumptuously decorated with frescoes and stuccos, has a Latin cross layout with three aisles divided by big pillars joined by eight mighty arches, each dedicated to a character of the Old Testament. The majestic cupola is located at the crossing of the two arms of the Latin cross. Walking along the nave and looking up to the majestic barrel vault, we remain bewitched by the brightness and liveliness of the frescoes painted by the Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans, who worked in Caltanissetta around 1720, with a special mention for the three scenes of the Incoronazione della Vergine, Immacolata Concezione and Trionfo di San Michele. Borremans also painted, but this time with darker and warmer colours, the altarpiece dedicated to the Immacolata e Santi that we can admire on the high altar, while the frescoes that decorate the various arches are the work of some of his followers.
Piazza Garibaldi - 93100 Caltanissetta
Cathedral: free entry from monday to sunday from 9 am to 12 am and from 4 pm to 7.30 pm
Phone: 0934 21642
