The second Cathedral
The Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore is — together with the Cathedral of San Nicolò — the dual religious head of Nicosia. Founded in the 14th century by the Nicosian Barons, rebuilt in late-Baroque forms after the 1757 earthquake, today it is a minor basilica and co-cathedral of the Diocese.
Its limestone façade, with the central rose window and lateral buttresses, closes the view of Piazza Mazzini — the second main square of the historic centre, running parallel to Piazza Garibaldi and equally important in the town’s ceremonial life.
The Baroque portal
The most remarkable sculptural detail is the main portal: a Baroque composition of twisted columns, cherubs, vegetal motifs and — at the centre of the archivolt — the Marian monogram “AVE MARIA” interlaced with floral ornament.
The Enna Superintendency considers the portal among the finest expressions of minor Baroque religious art in inland Sicily, and it was restored in the 2010s with a conservative cleaning intervention financed by the Diocese.
The simulacrum of Our Lady of Aid
The central nave houses the simulacrum of Our Lady of Aid, secondary patroness of the town. Every year, on the first Sunday available after 5 May, the vara bearing the simulacrum leaves the Basilica for the great procession that crosses the historic centre (see Feast of Our Lady of Aid).
The simulacrum follows the 18th-century Sicilian tradition: carved polychrome wood, dressed in a gold-embroidered mantle that — by Nicosian custom — is changed every year by the parish volunteers.
The wooden ceiling
Like the Cathedral, Santa Maria Maggiore preserves traces of its original wooden ceiling, now partially hidden beneath the 18th-century barrel vault.
The detail above is a surviving fragment of the 14th-century structure, the subject of a study by the Catania Polytechnic for the virtual reconstruction of the original appearance of the hall.
Visiting
- Opening hours: daily 8:00-12:00 and 16:00-19:00. Special schedule on liturgical feast days.
- Masses: weekdays 6 pm, Sundays and feast days 9 am and 11:30 am.
- Entry: free. Donations welcome for the maintenance of the heritage.
- Guided tours: by booking through the Municipality’s Tourism Office, which liaises with the parish.
Nearby
Piazza Mazzini, on which the Basilica opens, is also the main stage for the Casazza (see event) during Holy Week. The square also hosts the Infiorata of the Feast of Our Lady of Aid and the living Nativity of the Barons’ Christmas Market.