The Mother Church
A church in Serradifalco of significant interest is the Mother Church of San Leonardo Abate built in 1740 but opened for worship on November 9, 1845 by the will of Monsignor Strommillo, bishop of the Diocese of Caltanissetta.
The facade is divided into two parts delimited by a large cornice. In the lower part you can see two entrances of lesser importance where the statues of San Leonardo and Our Lady of Sorrows are located; the upper part, on the other hand, has the central portal characterized by the presence of a bas-relief by the artist Leopoldo Messina depicting the Pietà .
The interior has a single nave with a transverse transept and houses a real artistic and cultural heritage. Indeed, we can admire:
- the wooden statue of San Leonardo Abate created by the Palermitan sculptor Giancarlo Viviano in 1662;
- four sails in the main dome with the four evangelists depicted in bas-relief;
- the works depicting the Good Shepherd with the sheep on his shoulders;
- Jesus with bread in hand;
- St. Leonard freeing prisoners from chains;
- the canvas of the Baptism of Jesus;
- the paintings of Jesus on a donkey as he enters Jerusalem and Jesus with the children.
In addition, the parish preserves the relics of the patron saint (San Leonardo), San Vito, San Pasquale Baylon and Santa Chiara of Assisi. Over the years the stuccos of the Church were decorated and colored making the atmosphere more and more special. The last restoration of the central altar and the flooring took place in 2006.
Church of the Immaculate Conception
The church in Serradifalco dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was built around 1750 by order of Don Ignazio Maria Lo Faso, a member of the cadet branch of the Lo Faso family.
The new church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, was built to replace the ancient temple of the Madonna delle Vanelle. The simple facade is decorated with stucco crowning the portal and the window above, while the quadrangular bell tower was never completed.
The interior, built according to the late Baroque taste, has side chapels inside which are placed the canvases of the Palermitan painter Vito D’Anna, executed between 1752 and 1756.
On the sides of the main altar, on the other hand, there are two fine statues of the Serpottian school from the end of the 18th century, depicting Faith with a helmet and Charity. Finally, on the main altar it is possible to admire the statue of the Immaculate Conception.
Church of San Francesco di Paola
The construction of the church dedicated to Maria SS del Rosario (San Francesco), was begun in May 1653 at the behest of Donna Maria Ventimiglia who thus wanted to place her nephew Francesco Griffeo, future Regent of Serradifalco, under the protection of San Francesco.
The Baroque-style church overlooks the square and on the façade you can see beautiful statues, one dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie and the other San Francesco di Paola. On the gugliotto we observe, on the right, Sant’Antonio da Padova, while on the left there is San Giovanni Evangelista.
It was the first mother church of the town, formerly also called Matrice del Cozzo and Chiesa del Ss. Rosario.
The facade, devoid of volutes, is divided into upper and lower by a large projecting cornice of multiple lines; it is marked by four pilasters with Ionic capitals resting on pseudo quadrangular plinths.
The upper order, on the other hand, has, in addition to the pilaster strips, an arched window and at the ends two niches, with selvedge, which house the statues of the Madonna delle Grazie and San Francesco di Paola. The whole is completed by an arched pediment, surmounted by a selvedge and a cross, housing three bells from 1892 within three minor arches. On the sides of the pediment were placed the statues of St. John the Evangelist with the book of the Apocalypse, on which lies the Lamb and St. Anthony of Padua with the Child in his arms.
The interior has a single nave, which built on a raised floor, consisting of seven steps, allows the arrangement of a basement crypt.
The building has only one entrance and the feudal coat of arms of the Lo Faso dating back to 1665 is placed on the portal key.
In front of the high altar, the beautiful church in Serradifalco houses the statue of the Madonna del SS in a niche. Rosary with the Child Jesus in their arms, each holding the rosary in their own hand, the work can be traced back to 1862.
On the side walls instead there are two chapels, which contain the statues of Santa Germana di Cousin and San Francesco di Paola, works by unknown authors.
It is also possible to admire two large paintings originally owned by the Confraternity of the SS. Sacramento and dated 1898, where the Conception of the Virgin Mary is depicted.
Church of Our Lady of Carmel
The Church of the Madonna del Carmelo was built in the 18th century. Also known as the Church of Purgatory (a lu Priato’ in Sicilian), because it was originally consecrated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, while it was only around 1869 that it was dedicated to Maria SS. of Carmel.
It was built without pretensions, as the external facade testifies to us, and furnished with only one other because it was a cemetery.
It was built without pretensions, as the external facade testifies to us, and furnished with only one other because it was a cemetery.
In front of these last two statues, on the right side wall inside the Church there is a large painting depicting the holy souls in Purgatory.
Church of the College of Mary
The Church of the Collegio di Maria, or Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, stands near the Mother Church. Since 1817 it has housed the Institute of Dominican Sisters. It was built by the third archpriest of Serradifalco, Francesco Lio.
Church of San Giuseppe
Last church built in the village, built in 1925, the bell tower was erected four years later. It was named after the Patriarch Saint Joseph. Inside there is a 20th-century work by Francesco Biancardi, the wooden group entitled “San Giuseppe and the Child Jesus”.