Church of Saint Mary of the Announcement

The church of the Santissima Annunziata was built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The plan is a Latin cross and today only the transept remains of the church and only the left wall of the only aisle. In the transept, in correspondence with the nave, there is the apse. The two central round arches date back to the years of construction of the building. The internal vault of the transept is covered by wooden trusses built in the sixties of the last century. Inside, of remarkable value under the central arch, a prestigious high relief in 16th century white marble depicting the angel's announcement to Mary. This work is attributed to Rinaldo Bonanno, a well-known sculptor who also worked on the renovation of the Messina cathedral. Very fine figures enclosed in the circle whose dialogue is intended by the game of looks between the two characters, by the graceful movement of the angel who bends his knees to the ground, by the expression of Mary "caught by surprise". Under the Latin words of the angel's greeting "AVE FONS GRATIAE". In the church on Palm Sunday each year the faithful gather for the blessing of the branches before mass in the parish church. Furthermore, on May 1, the Marian month opens with the Eucharistic celebration. It is used as a place of welcome for the Blessed Sacrament during the Corpus Domini procession, when it is decorated with thousands of multicolored flowers by the inhabitants of the neighborhood. Sometimes in the summer months it is also used for essays and musical concerts, because its beauty, which is ancient, always makes the atmosphere very suggestive.