Church of St Gandolfo la Povera

The church of San Gandolfo la Povera stands in the Santa Maria Maggiore quarter, on the ruins of the old hospital of Santa Cecilia, which operated until 1622. The church formed part of the orphanage run by the sisters of the Collegio di Maria and was later handed over to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Infant Jesus, who held it until 1992. Today it is the seat of the confraternity of San Gandolfo.

The building has a gabled facade with a small square bell tower to its right. Beyond the portal, decorated with carved stone elements, a flight of steps leads into the church.

Preceded by a rectangular cross-vaulted space surmounted by a choir loft with three round-arched openings, the church has a single nave with barrel vaults.

The church of the Collegio, as it is commonly known today, preserves works of fine craftsmanship, among them the Immaculate Conception with angels painted by Donato Creti in 1727-29; the Patronage of San Gandolfo, painted by Giuseppe Salerno in 1620, which includes a realistic view of the town of Polizzi with its walls, castle, city gates and the churches already standing at the time; and the canvas depicting San Gandolfo and scenes from his life, dating from the early 16th century and attributed to the Spanish painter Joannes de Matta.