VILLAFRANCA
TIRRENA
Villafranca
Tirrena is located in the province of Messina at 22m a.s.l. along
the Thyrrenian coast. It totals as many as 6,800 inhabitants. It
began life as the feudal dominion of the Cottone family in the 16th
century. In 1590, one of its members, Stefano, ordered the construction
of the Castello Baronale. The Chiesa Madre, dedicated to Saint Nicholas,
is the main church. It houses a 1500’s painted Cross and a
marble statue representing the Madonna and Child.
In
the city environs, is Calvaruso, a small settlement at 110m height,
especially noted for its 1600’s Santuario di Gesù Ecce
Homo. The religious building houses various works of art like a
1600’s statue representing the Ecce Homo and a painting of
the same period representing the Immaculate with St. Francis, Saint
Clare and St. Anne. A cloister provides access to the Museo della
Devozione, collecting endless offerings, 1800’s paintings
and sacred furnishings. The most striking piece of the collection
is a work named Strage degli Innocenti comprised of some fifty statuettes
from the 1800’s.
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