The Church of the Addolorata

At a glance. A striking Baroque sanctuary in the Historic Center, this church hides unique details. Did you know it houses stuccos from Serpotta’s school, an apse carved almost entirely into the rock, and three underground crypts turned into a micro-museum? Find it on the map and read more!

Good to know. The Church of Maria Santissima dei Sette Dolori, simply known as the Church of the Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows), is one of the most striking places of Marian worship in the historic center. The Sanctuary was built around 1670 by the homonymous confraternity, incorporating a small, pre-existing sacred shrine. The structure rises upon a spur of yellow sandstone, perched over a limestone cliff right on the edge of the ancient Arab quarter known as the “Rabato“. The building stands next to a historical gateway to the medieval city, Porta Mazara, later renamed Porta Garibaldi in perfect continuity with the avenue where the church stands today.

Though the exterior is rather simple, the single nave interior of the church is almost entirely covered by baroque decorations and stuccoes by Serpotta. Legions of white angels invite the visitor to admire luxuriant plants and open shells which symbolize the fertility and the Precious Fruit of the Womb of the Virgin Mary. The apse, which is almost entirely hewn out of  the rock, is separated from the central nave by a triumphal arch.

An 18^th century wooden statue of the Madonna of the Sorrows enhances the main altar. During the holy week of Easter, on Good Friday evening, many of the faithful converge here to accompany, with traditional songs, the solemn procession of the “vara” (Sicilian word for coffin) of the dying Chri­st followed by Our Lady of Sorrows. While the church was in construction, two ancient cisterns presumably of Greek origins were discovered in the rocks. A third was hewn out of the rock and the three suggestive caverns were used as sepulchral chambers by the friars. Nowadays the crypts are in use as a little museum with exhibits of the confraternity.