Caltanissetta: Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova
The church of Santa Maria La Nova is the cathedral of the diocese of Caltanissetta. It has a large façade divided by pilasters flanked by two bell towers and dominates the entire central square of Garibaldi. The interior, shaped like a Latin cross, is divided into three naves e sostenute da quattordici arcate, and supported by fourteen arcades, each dedicated to a character of the Old Testament, and before the bombardment of 1943, they claimed the figures of the twelve apostles. At the point of intersection between the two arms of the cross, above the altar, is the dome. The remarkable series of frescoes that adorns the central nave is the work of Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans (1670-1744). In the second chapel on the right there is a remarkable presence, however, of the splendid Immaculate, a wooden statue of 1760 with precious draperies in silver foil. In the chapel, next to the main one, there are the depictiones of the Archangel Michele (patron from the seventeenth century of the city).
The exterior of the cathedral is enhanced by the large and lively square, dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi: in front stands the sixteenth-century church of Saint Sebastian, in the center the scenic fountain of Tritone, by Gaetano Averna (placed on site on December 15, 1956), with the bronze group of 1890 by the sculptor Michele Tripisciano (1860-1913).
Feast of St. Michele Arcangelo
The Feast of St. Michael, the patron saint of the city of Caltanissetta, takes place on September 29. On the occasion of the Feast, the seventeenth-century statue of the Archangel runs through the streets of the city, between the music and the stalls of the traditional “San Michele Fair”.
The town celebration includes the children’s parade, dressed according to the custom of the Holy. The main feature of the procession is that the statue of the saint is carried and followed by the faithful who, by grace received, express their devotion by walking barefoot.