Mother Church

The Mother Church is one of the most important monuments in Sambuca, built in around 1420 on an old part of the Zabut Castle, in the oldest part of the city. It has a beautiful façade with a high tuff base and an Arab-Norman style entrance portal preceded by a long stairway. The interior has three naves divided by columns that support rounded arches. The layout is a Roman cross and at the point where the transept intersects with the central nave the Renaissance inspired dome rises. The bell tower, dug out of one of the defence towers of the Saracen castle, finishes in a pyramid spire covered by small polychrome ceramic tiles. Supported by enormous yet harmonious acanthus leaves sculpted in the tuff, is it a rare jewel of period architectural from western Sicily.