The church of San Benedetto alla Badia and the majolica flooring

        

During the XVI century, the Monastery of S. Maria della Mensa of the Benedectine order was situated beyond the city walls.
It was a dangerous time for the nuns living in the monastery as they were subject to continuos retaliation from Angiovins and raids from barberians.
To escape danger the great Monastery was founded in 1572 within the city walls and included a church belonging to the Benedectine order.
The site was carefully selected. The main complex lies between the churches of S. Marco and SS. Annunziata. From the front of the building you can see the Mother church and part of the castle.
To commemorate the completition of construction work you can notice the Benedectine emblem emblazoned over the stone portal showing the date of 1748.
This church is considered to be the best example of baroque art in Caccamo.
The architectury of the abbey is distinctely eighteenth century. It has a rectangular layout with a single aisle, without cupola.
The high altar was part of a chapel within the Convent for young girls from good families, among which was sister Felicia Enriquez de Cabrera (1580-1615) who died in odour of sanctity.
The interior decoration of this church is out standing. It is a typical “sitting room” church of the eighteenth century.
Other elements of interest are the majolica floorings, the stuccoes of Serpotta School, the wooden altar, the wrought iron gate, the polychrome marbles, the vault frescoes and painting at side altars.
This is a monument to explore in every detail. As an act of respect to this place, where it is reputed appeared the Virgin Mary on November 26 1614 and also to preserve the delicate ceramic tiled floor, all visitors are requested to remove their shoes before entering the church.
With its 10.000 tiles, (18 cm x 18 cm) it represents a unique sample of Sicilian handcraft. The tiles decorating the flooring and aisle, portray fluttering birds, large festoons with green leaves, flowers and fruits, rural landscape sunset, as well as mytical halfnaked figures all creating a magnificent effect enphasised by the use of brilliant and original colors such as cobalt blue-yellow, green and blue. This valuable work, attributed to Nicolò Sarzana, “Brickmaker in Palermo” (1700-1789) is subdivided in different areas, linked by means of different decorative patterns: Angels, interlacing and trophies.
In the large central panel it is represented a sea storm. This scene could recall the Noah’s ark heading toward the new regenerated world. The huge sailing ship, shaked by the waves against the rocks keeps in great fear the people watching from shore.
A herd of fawns, also remains astonished. There are also represented trees shooked and bended by the wind, while by one side, a tower overlooks the landscape.
The inscription that can be observed on the top of the large panel explains the allegorical representation “Concutitur non obruitur” which translates: “It will be shaked but not sinked”. It is believed that the author refered to catholic church, meaning that even if it will waver, it will never be swept by evil.
To the enclosed nuns this allegory had an even deeper meaning since they had to suffer auguishes to make their faith prevail.
Such an elaborate decoration gives the idea of the exptional ability of majolicaware artigians from Palermo, who also had to work close to valent architects.
During the first half of seventeenth century, was operating in Palermo a workshop which supplied with briks the Parish of S. Antonio Abate. This workshop, belonging to Don Nicolò Sarzana supplied in 1571 a huge number of artistic tiles to the Parish of SS.Annunziata in Cacamo. As reported in unpublished documents, during the archpr Filippo Allegra administration, Sarzana was invited in Caccamo to decorate thechurch. On October 16 1571 at notary Martino Cecala office was entered into a contract that Don Nicolò Sarzana, bricklayer in Palermo assumed upon himiself the task, starting May up to July 1572, to supply all the bricks needed to the church.
At the time Sarzana undertook the commitment to carry out the flooring of SS.Annunziata Church, he was 50 years old.
Due to the high number of tiles needed (25.000) for the second part of the work, Sarzana, with the cooperation of his son Carlo built in site a new workshop - Sarzana, had the Don before his name, in use in Sicily as an act of respect.
Since the end of first quarter of eighteenth century, Sarzana was a well known and appreciated artist. So far, missing other reliable information, it has been believed that the author of the flooring of “S. Benedetto alla Badia” was Sarzana, to whom the work was commissioned by Mother superior Gallegra, delighted by the work accomplished at the Annunziata.
On the contrary we believe that the flooring has been executed in a much earlier period than that in which Sarzana was operative in Caccamo.
The nuns tumbs, situated in the centre, constitute a point of convergence of the entire flooring, which is considered for the beauty of decoration, but above all for its dimension, one of the most valuable example of the Sicilian ceramic art. The inscription on the tombstone tells us that in 1701 was given permission to oblate nuns to bury their deaths in this site, decorated with the same majolicated flloring.
MONIALES OBLATAS - S -P - BENEDICTI CIVITATIS CACCABI VITA FUNCTAS - MORS NON SEPARAT: SED HOC UNO SOCIAT IN TUMULO UNAQUE CONDECORAT CORONA 1701.
Death will not keep an part the nuns from the holy father Benedetto from Caccamo, on the countrary it will associate them in the same crown decorated tumb.
It is clear that the flooring dates before 1701 and it is also clear that it can not be attributed to Sarzana since he was born right that same year.
In this church, the stuccoes of the Serpotta school portray the main monastic virtues of the Benedectine nuns.
They are symbolized by two elegant little ladies dressed with tight girdles and high heels shoes. One of them wears a mantle and leans against a column. The other keeps in her right hand a long cross, while the left hand holds tightly a yoke, symbol of devotion.
In the cornice lunette of the aisle in the high altar, it can be admired “La cena di Emmaus” the stuccoes are signed with the pseudonym “Sirpuzza” used by Serpotta to sign his works. In the reality they belong to Bartolomeo Sanseverino, one of the most distinguished pupil of Serpotta.
In 1756, Bartolome Sanseverino accomplished the stuccoes, and as an act of respect he wanted to dedicate this work to his master and to the school he founded by signing it with the pseudonym used by the great Giacomo.
The nuns could attend religious pratices from two large grating protected windows located in both side of the aisle, being in the same position of the officiant they could also receive their holy communion from the left hand window through a little opening, finely wood framed in it, while a head, through a perforated plate built in a wall took place the confession.
The enclosed nuns could receive food and clothes by menas of a wooden made wheel system of the eighteenth century, in which sculptures and little stautes riproduced are covered with a thin plate of pure gold. Beneath the large central arch is represented the “Assunta” below it can be admired the statue of S. Benedetto who had by his side four statues of the Benedectine Saints. The most impressive work of art is represented by a magnificent wrohght iron gate that departs from women’s gallery bannister up to church’s vault.
The wooden architrave holding the upper wrought iron fan shaped grating, has a writing on it addressed to the nuns: “ORATE PRO ME”.
The whole represents a splendid piece of art of inestimable value.
It separates the monastic border from the look of believers, as an incomparable wall between the religious world and the secular. Also very artistic are the other gates, as well as the windows and all the ambient that overlook the church from the old Monastery. Two gracefull funeral urns rise on both side walls of the church.
They are executed with the so called polychromat mixed marble technique and are framed with soft stuccoes representing raised drapes.
All stuccoes belong to Antonio Petringa: the most elaborated one dates 1735. It is placed in the central voult and portrays the triumph of S. Benedetto.
To increase the tridimensional effect of the painting, the outhor exploits a typical spectacular baroque technique. The leg (from knee to foot) and the terminal portion of a spear of a soldier painted in the foreground seem to come out from the voult.
This effect is accomplished by making them in stuccoes and painting them in such a perfect way to make it difficult to tell the difference between painting and sculpture.
Inside the church, remarkable pictorial works are preserved over the four lateral altars.
The immaculate conception by Vincenzo La Barbera was accomplished in 1613 at nun Cristina Perugia expences.
Opposite it can be found the painting attributed to Antonio Spatafora of the seventeenth century, portraying the “Madonna della Neve” along with the saints Stefano and Lorenzo Martini (this paint is currentely in care of the supreintendency of cultural and ambient affairs in Palermo for restoration works, together with another painting dated 1632 attributed to the painter Quaresma, reproducing the Crucified along with Saint Benedetto and Scolastica.
The fourth painting of the seventeenth century portrays the ecstasy of S. Benedetto.
Felicia Enriquez de Cabrera, born in 1580, became a nun at the age of fourteen in the monastery of S. Benedetto against her relatives will who prefered she had entered a reacher and more prestigious monastery. Nun Benigna Stagna became her teacher. At the age of twelve she had suffered from a tumor to the upper portion of palate.
When the Virgin Mary appeared in her cell, together with the saints S. Luigi Gonzaga and S. Vincenzo, restored Felicia to health by gently touching her cheek. Since then, in memory of this miracle a lamp was lighted and many people that oiled them selves with its oil received graces.
The miracle is reproduced in a seventeenth century painting kept for security reason inside the church of SS. Annunziata.
The nun died in 1615 in odour of sanctity at the age of 35 and was buried by the right side of the high altar. Her remains disappared.
From an handwritten in our possession we can deduce that her body was exhumed 30 years after her death. At moment of un unburing it was noticed an intense perfume of honey. Her cheek showed the furrow produced by the Virgin Mary touch, when she healed her through the miracle.
Her body was covered with a white veil, symbol of purity, rather than a black one, as in use to the Benedectine nuns.
All these justifies the deep devotion to the “Madonna del dormitorio” venerated in this Sanctuary on Nov. 29.
The cultural patrimony collected during the centuries and preserved within the benedectine Monastery was wasted because of a 1866 law that suppressed the monastic orders, consequentely closing the Monasteries of S. Agostino, S. Domenico and S. Francesco D’Assisi.
A head a chapter of this book wil explain our project for saving and exploting the invaluable artistic patrimony represented by the majolica flooring of this “Sitting room” church. We will invite readers and not only them, to adopt a tile.

 

 

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