The Sanctuary of San Vito Lo Capo

The Sanctuary–Fortress of San Vito Lo Capo was almost certainly built in the fifteenth century to protect pilgrims from pirate raids, incorporating the structures of a pre-existing church, documented in the fourteenth century; the restorations of 2003, which gave the church back its original east-west orientation, brought to light a hypogeum with two wells, probably used for worship.

The present presbytery area, the so-called Chapel of San Vito, is enriched with local marbles and stucco statues by Orazio Ferraro (1624-1628); in the centre is the statue of the Saint, a fine Gagini-style work of 1587, with episodes of his life tied to his stay in San Vito carved on the base. Works of contemporary art worthily serve as sacred furnishings.

In the adjoining rooms is the sanctuary museum, which houses silverware, liturgical furnishings and works of sacred art tied to the cult and pilgrimages in honour of San Vito. Particular attention is deserved by the wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception, by an unknown Sicilian sculptor of the early sixteenth century, coming from the “Secco” tuna trap.