San Giovanni Battista, Erice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Church of San Giovanni Battista | |
|---|---|
| Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista | |
 Side view of the church with its dome | |
 Church of San Giovanni Battista | |
| 38°2′16.109″N 12°35′25.224″E / 38.03780806°N 12.59034000°E | |
| Location | Erice, Sicily, Italy |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Confraternity church |
| Founded | 4th century (tradition) |
| Dedication | Saint John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Completed | 1631 (enlarged) |
San Giovanni Battista (Italian: Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista) is a Roman Catholic church in the historic centre of Erice, Sicily. It is one of three confraternity churches in the town, together with Sant'Orsola and San Martino.[1][2]
San Giovanni Battista is considered among the oldest churches of Erice, though the date of its foundation is uncertain. A plaque inscription traditionally links the church’s origins to the era of Emperor Constantine.[1][3] The original building was small and rectangular; the present eastern portal—late Chiaramontan Gothic architecture with zig-zag (denti di sega) moulding and a fan-shaped stair—was formerly the main entrance before later reorientation of the church, and is variously dated between the 12th and 14th centuries in guide and scholarly literature.[3][4][5]
Between 1430 and 1436 the church was rebuilt in Gothic forms at the expense of the confraternity. In 1631 Don Matteo Buonfiglio financed a major expansion that gave the church its present plan: a single, luminous nave oriented north–south, measuring 35 metres in length and 10 metres in width, making it the most spacious church in Erice.[5][a]
Closed for worship for many years, the church underwent restoration in the 1970s to strengthen the stone structure. During these works, an 18th-century polychrome ceramic floor was removed and replaced with red brick tiles, while tombs once set into the pavement were also taken away.[5]
Architecture and artworks
The church retains elements of the medieval structure, including its lateral portals and traces of frescoes. The eastern portal is a late-Gothic feature with zig-zag (denti di sega) decoration, fronted by a fan-shaped staircase.[6]
Inside are several notable Renaissance sculptures. In the main apse niche stands a marble statue of Saint John the Baptist by Antonino (Antonio) Gagini, documented to 1537–1539; the pedestal bears reliefs of the Baptist’s life.[7][8] To the right of the crossing is a marble statue of Saint John the Evangelist by Antonello Gagini, dated 1531.[7]
In the left transept is a Visitation group—two statues representing the Virgin Mary and Saint Elizabeth—attributed to the Lombard sculptor Gabriele di Battista, circa 1497.[2] A marble holy-water stoup (acquasantiera) in the Gaginian style is recorded for 1529.[8][7]
The apse preserves medieval fresco fragments originally from the rock church of Santa Maria Maddalena; the building also serves as a repository for marble and stucco works no longer in their original locations.[6]
