FRAZZANO'
Frazzanò
is a city of the Messina province standing about 560m a.s.l. Lying
just off the Nebrodi Park, it is renowned for its naturalistic value.
Further naturalistic resorts are also situated nearby, like a group
of grottoes in the Val di Canne district, known as “grotta
delle colonne”, “grotta dell’inferno” and
“grotta del cerchio”, all containing stalagmites and
stalactites.
Frazzanò
roots go back to 835, when it was founded by refugees from nearby
areas due to the Arab advance, who would soon take Frazzanò
as well, and ruled over it as far as the Norman occupation.
The
Chiesa Madre, containing a 1500’s statue of the Annunciation
attributed to Giuseppe Gagini, the 1600’s Chiesa di San Lorenzo,
the patron saint, and the Convento di San Filippo Fragalà,
are Frazzanò’s most attractive buildings. The last
one is particularly worth-mentioning. Situated in the city outskirts,
atop a hill rising to 730 metres, at one time it was a Basilian
abbey (11th century), of which the few remains are a T-shaped church,
some well-preserved apses and an octagonal drum in the transept
THE
CITY SURROUNDINGS
Convento
di San Filippo di Fragalà – 3 km from Frazzano towards
Longi. The Basilian church, recently restored, was erected at Roger
I Hauteville’s behest in the 11th century, more than likely
on the ruins of a smaller church dating from the 5th century AD.
It is worth pausing to view the exterior of the abbey complex from
below; note the three apses in the Arab-Norman style, articulated
by brick pilasters, and the octagonal drum in the transept. The
church is T-shaped and preserves, particularly in the central apse,
traces of Byzantine frescoes. The adjoining monastic buildings are
also open.
Continue
to Portella Calcatirizzo. Beyond the town, turn left at the fork
towards Salvatore di Fitalia.
San
Salvatore di Fitalia – Perched high among the slopes of the
Nebrodi Mountains, this small village has a charming Chiesa Madre
dedicated to San Salvatore, dated 1515. The exterior is rather severe;
the interior is very attractive also thanks to recent restoration
works that brought to light the 1500’s structure of the church,
with three naves divided by sandstone columns supporting pointed
archs. Its fine capitals are sculpted with the plant and anthropomorfic
motifs so typical of medieval decorative schemes; the capital of
the first column on the right, bearing the name of the stone-mason
who carved it, features a highly unusual mermaid with a forked tail.
In the right nave, is a 1521’s gentle Madonna della Neve by
Antonello Gagini, while on the main altar, is a wooden statue of
the Salvator Mundi, represented at the moment of the Transfiguration,
dated 1603.
Museo
Siciliano delle Tradizioni Religiose – It is a very interesting
museum documenting the local religious customs and traditions through
the display of simple objects, such as amulets against evil eye,
votive objects including: a series of anatomical replicas made of
wax, originally from the Santuario of San Calogero; the “pillole”,
that is pills, consisting of tiny squares of paper designed to be
swallowed by the faithful while they recited prayers requesting
divine intervention in the cure of disease or other malady; sheet
music used by ballad-singers and terracotta whistles bearing figurative
images sold on saint’s days. An unusual 1600’s “priest
toy” comprises a doll dressed as a priest complete with all
the necessary holy vestments (sadly the liturgical objects have
been stolen), reminiscent of the one described in Manzoni’s
1800’s novel Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), belonging to
the nun from Monza since childhood. The collection also includes
a series of engravings and lithographs of sacred images (17th-20th
century), special dress worn by the confraterniteies in sacred processions,
various examples of devotional statuary in wood, plaster and terracotta,
and small figures for cribs (19th century). |
