Church of the Addolorata

Two names, one church

Anyone looking for the church of the Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) in Casamicciola will find it in the upper part of town, along Via D'Aloisio, just above Piazza Maio and a short distance from the sanctuary of the Immacolata at the Sentinella. It is the same building that everyone in town calls “il Purgatorio” and that church records list as Santa Maria del Suffragio: Italy's national catalogue of cultural heritage in fact records it under all three names. The building's story, from its foundation in 1693 to the present day, is told on the page of the Purgatorio church; here we tell the story of the devotion that gave it its best-loved name.

History of the devotion

Founded at the end of the 17th century as a church dedicated to Santa Maria del Suffragio, associated with prayer for the souls of the dead, around 1750 the church became the centre of devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows in the Maio area and took the name of chiesa dell'Addolorata al Maio. According to local memory, after 1883 the rebuilt church was also dedicated to the Addolorata, confirming a bond that had by then become inseparable. The nickname Purgatorio, meanwhile, has spread to the whole area between Piazza Maio and La Rita.

The statue of Our Lady of Sorrows

The heart of the church is the statue of the Addolorata, dating from the early 20th century: a wooden sculpture dressed in fabric robes, placed on the single altar. Its value to the community is also symbolic: in the fire caused by a short circuit that destroyed the church on 25 September 1969, it was the only object to survive. The ischia.org portal refers to it as the statue of the Crowned Mother of Sorrows.

According to the entry published by isoladischia.com, which draws on Achille della Regione's book Ischia Sacra, the sacristy holds a devotional Assumption and a Holy Family attributed to a painter from the workshop of Francesco Solimena.

A church wounded twice

Before visiting, it is advisable to check with the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena on the state of the building and the times of services.

Where it is and how to get there

The church is on Via D'Aloisio, in upper Casamicciola, in an area that sources variously call the Maio, La Rita or the Sentinella. From the harbour, go up to Piazza Maio by car, taxi or the buses serving the hillside part of town; from the square, continue on foot.

What to see nearby

Nearby are the sanctuary of Maria Santissima Immacolata at the Sentinella and Piazza Maio, the old centre of town before 1883. To follow the thread of the Suffragio confraternity, which found a new home elsewhere after 1883, you can visit the church of San Pasquale Baylon.