Saints Cosma and Damiano's Church (Alcamo)
| Saints Cosmas and Damian’s Church | |
|---|---|
| Chiesa di san Cosma e Damiano | |
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The façade
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Alcamo, Trapani, Italy |
| Geographic coordinates | 37°58′52″N 12°58′03″E / 37.9810°N 12.9676°ECoordinates: 37°58′52″N 12°58′03″E / 37.9810°N 12.9676°E |
| Affiliation | Clarissas |
| Rite | Catholic |
| Municipality | Alcamo |
| Territory | Alcamo |
| State | Italy |
| Province | Trapani |
| Region | Sicily |
| Patron | saints Cosma and Damiano |
| Website | http://www.ofmsicilia.it/s_chiara.htm |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Giuseppe Mariani |
| Architectural type | baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1500 ca, |
Saints Cosmas and Damian's Church (or Saint Clara's Church) is a Roman Catholic church in Alcamo, in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy.
This Baroque church was built around 1500 after the plan of Giuseppe Mariani and rebuilt between 1721 and 1725.
The church has one nave and presents a tambour which inside repeats the shape of the main body with a hexagonal plan, while the chapels are delimited by some pillars in Corinthian style. Thanks to its restyling probably inspired by the Roman church of Saint Ives alla Sapienza by the architect Francesco Borromini, it became in 1725 an example of the most beautiful Sicilian baroque.
Adjoining the church is Saint Clare's nunnery and it was annexed during the years 1545-1547.
In 1545 three noble sisters (Antonina, Angela and Alberta Mompilieri), together with some devout women founded a convent of Poor Clares and were assigned the adjoining church of the Saints Cosma and Damiano's Church. Owing to the 1866 Laws the western wing of the building was confiscated: there was an elementary school for about a century, in 1958 it was demolished and the central Post Office was built. Some years ago the nuns bought the first floor of this building, thanks to the believers' offerings and some other contributions.
The Clares of this convent, besides taking part in the religious rites in the Church with their chants, have helped in the birth and revival of other nunneries in Sicily and Sardinia. Moreover, they made crafts and sweets, ceroplastics and enamelled objects. Nowadays they make silk holy paraments, embroidered with gold and silver threads, or embellished with gems and pieces of coral; they also prepare hosts for several churches.
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