Churches in Sicily
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena (Church of Saint Mary of the Chain)
The Church of Saint Mary of the Chain (Santa Maria della Catena) takes its name from the large chain that once stretched across Palermo’s harbour to Castello a Mare, blocking access to the old port. According to tradition, the church’s dedication also recalls a miracle: in 1391, three innocent men prayed here overnight before execution, and their chains miraculously fell off, saving them. Another version tells of prisoners who prayed to the Virgin in 1392; as pirates approached the city, the chain suddenly broke, allowing the captives to escape. These events left a deep impression on local culture and were later depicted in literature and art, solidifying the church’s reputation as a place of divine intervention and protection.
The Church of Saint Mary of the Chain in Palermo was built 1500-1520.
Chiesa dell'Immacolata Concezione
The Church Santa Maria della Catena
A fresco of Mary with the Child Jesus at her breast. Chiesa Santa Maria della Catena (Church of Saint Mary of the Chain).
This fresco depicts the Virgin Mary nursing her Child. It is a medieval work of art preserved in the oldest and most significant chapel of the Church of Santa Maria della Catena (Saint Mary of the Chain).
According to legend, a miracle took place in front of this fresco in August 1392. Three prisoners, sentenced to death in Piazza Marina, were brought into the church due to a sudden hailstorm. As they waited for the weather to clear, they stood before the fresco and began to pray. Miraculously, their chains broke. The men fled, spreading news of the miracle throughout the city. King Martino, moved by the event, chose not to execute those whom the Virgin Mary had seemingly pardoned, and the prisoners were spared.
The artist of this 14th-century fresco is unknown. Rooted in the Greek Byzantine tradition, it depicts the Child as an adult figure, with visible wrinkles and a receding hairline.
If you look at the sides of the fresco, you’ll see elements from a Post-Tridentine painting (16th–17th century). These later additions were used to cover the medieval fresco, which originally showed the Virgin’s bare breast.
In the 20th century, during a restoration, the ancient fresco was discovered and brought to light.
In the first picture, there is a small square with a different painting. Inside this square, you can see the mantle of the newer Virgin, painted to cover the medieval one. It was blue with gold stars.
In this picture there is another square but it’s not painting but dirt. Fortunately it was removed and now we can admire this wonderful work of art.
About Laura Leonardi
Laura Leonardi was born in Palermo in 1990. She took her first degree in Disciplines of Arts, Music and Entertainment in 2012. During her studies she discovered antiques silvers of XVII- XIX century, hidden inside an old church in the centre of Palermo and wrote her first sperimental thesis that has been published in 2014 on the important Italian on-line magazine OADI – Rivista dell’Osservatorio delle arti decorative in Italia, about fine art in Italy.
In 2014 she took her second degree in History of Art and wrote another sperimental thesis about new technologies and art. The result of this thesis is going to be published soon.
She wrote an e-book about Inquisition and tortures in Palermo in XVII century that has been self-published for free in November 2014 on Smashwords.
She has a great love for photography and she has her own blog, gli Occhi della Voce.She travels all around Sicily , Italy and the world to tell and show to everyone beauty, art and history that she can "capture" with her eyes and camera. Her motto: the earth without art is just…eh!
More Photos of Church of Saint Mary of the Chain
The three doorways has carvings attributed to Vincenzo Gagini.
Detail of a tomb from 1664. It is positioned in the left aisle. This and another tomb was moved from the Church of Saint Nicolò of Kalsa after an earthquake in 1823.
Grave monument with skulls (1664).
A late 15th-century relief of the Madonna and Child with Angels from the church of San Nicolò alla Calza.
The beautifully restored interior of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena.
Detail of the interior of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena.
Carving in the wooden door of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo.
The lunette above this door shows the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus.
Capital.
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo was built in the late 15th or the beginning of the 16th century.
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