Church of San Nicola

At a glance. This Normand church stands between the Valley of the Temples, the Museum, and the Hellenistic-Roman Quarter. Did you know it possibly rose on the ruins of tyrant Phalaris’ legendary palace and houses the black crucifix that inspired Pirandello? Find it on the map and read more below!

Good to know. Built in the 12th century, the Church of San Nicola features a understated façade with a beautiful Gothic portal, framed by two massive piers supporting a prominent cornice. The adjacent Regional Archaeological Museum occupies the spaces of the monastery once connected to the church. The interior consists of a single nave covered by a pointed vault, crowned by a large cornice matching the exterior one. The building, originally of Norman foundation, bears the marks of various modifications over the centuries: expanded in 1220 by the Cistercian monks, partially rebuilt in 1322 by the Benedictines, and altered in 1426 by the Franciscans. The splendid frescoes and paintings adorning the walls date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Popular legend has it that the Church of San Nicola was built using the remains of a Roman temple, which in turn had been constructed from the ruins of the palace of Phalaris, the first Greek tyrant of Akragas. What is certain is that the church stands in a pivotal area of ancient Greek and Roman history: located on the site of the ancient upper agora and the Hellenistic Theater, as well as in the heart of the Hellenistic-Roman Quarter.

The church welcomes visitors into a simple, austere atmosphere, in true Cistercian spirit. Indeed, the Cistercian monastic order was born out of a desire for greater simplicity. One of the side chapels houses a true gem: a beautiful sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Gagini. Another chapel contains the crucifix of “Il Signore della Nave” (Our Lord of the Ship), whose festival inspired the famous playwright and Nobel prize winner Luigi Pirandello to write his theatrical drama entitled “The Festival of the Lord of the Ship”, a humorous and grotesque single act which illustrates the contradictions between sacred and profane in human nature.