The construction of this church was said to have followed a nearby military victory by Count Roger I of Sicily over the Saracens on July 25, 1090 (the feast day of St James the Great).[1]
It was nearly razed by the 1693 Sicily earthquake. Apparently, much of the town was in the church at prayer when the earthquake toppled the roof, killing some 700 persons.[2] The church was also rebuilt after World War II due to bombardment in 1943.
The bell-tower, located behind the flank of the apse, with four terracotta evangelists, was added in the 19th century. The facade has volutes connecting the center to the aisles; the window frames and cornices are highly decorated. The bronze doors are modern. The interior houses a relic, putatively the arm of St James, inside a silver box engraved with reliefs depicting the life of the saint by Nibilio and Giuseppe Gagini; the statue of St James (1517) was made by Vincenzo Archifel; There is a reliquary containing relics of the Blessed Lucia. The church also has a 14th-century reliquary containing the skull of the Polish knights templar, the blessed Gerlando. On 25 July, a procession carries the statue of St James through the town.[3]
