|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
San Francesco Saverio and (below to the
right) the treasurer Illuminato Giarrizzo’s portrait |
San Filippo Neri confessing San Camillo; and further down the treasurer Giuseppe Gatto’s portrait |
San Giuseppe, from whom two streaks of light
radiate the world, and San Giovanni Nepomuceno, martyr of the
sacramental seal, and below the treasurer Antonio Coco’s portrait.
The state of the frescos is at its worst. If we don’t want to
completely cancel these precious testimonies some urgent
restoration work is necessary. |
|
 A curiosity reported by
Benedetto
Radice: the Bronte’s historian writes that in 1700 next to the Oratory
had to be erected a scholastic institute but, due to economic
difficulties, and to the fact that the clergy had become more greedy
and less generous, the all thing was called off.
Here is what B. Radice wrote:
«In the first year of the XVIII century the clergy, having decayed the
files with the Scooper, (and I never came to know why), turned to the
fathers of the order of minor, regular clergymen’s congregation and,
on the 21st of January 1701, with an act prepared by the notary
Giuseppe Chirone, the archpriest don Giuseppe Papotto, in the name of
the clergy, handed over to father Tommaso Schiros, of the minor fathers,
the church of the Annunciate and its administration to build adjacent
to the Jesus and Mary congregation’s little church, an education
school, at his expense on condition of getting the necessary income to
maintain studies of grammar, philosophy and theology.
The church’s representatives gave also all the property including |
|
 |
 |
|
In the apse, at the altar’s sides: at left there is
portrayed the archangel Michael, at right the Guardian Angel. The
devotion to S. Michele Arcangelo has always been felt strongly in
Bronte, on the high altar there is the picture of Jesus and Mary. |
|
The Good Shepherd with the father Diego
Dimitilli’s portray showing the Cross of Malta’s knight (below at
left) |
 |
|
|
|
annual harvest of
must and wheat. With the act of the 6th of March of the
same year the brothers of the
Jesus and Mary’s confraternity approved and
ratified the preceding act
and with another one of the 12th of March of the same year the
“minor”
fathers got the convention ratified by the Mons Ruana, Abbot and
archbishop of Monreale.
The minor fathers were not able to raise the
money for the edifice and the income to maintain the schools.
The
clergy. Become more greedy and selfish and less generous towards the
country town, did not agree to turn to the minor fathers the income of
the fathers Bellina and Mancani and everything remained as before for
another half a century.
But what could not be done by the priests Bellina and Mancani, what the clergy did not want to do, was realized
by a poor and humble son of the people» (the historian refers
naturally to father Ignazio Capizzi).
Madonna Annunziata Sanctuary: Outside
Inside
Story |
