Church of Santa Maria della Pietà

A confraternity's church

Along Corso Luigi Manzi, Casamicciola's seafront promenade, a simple façade with a high relief of the Pietà in its pediment marks the church of Santa Maria della Pietà. More than a parish church, it is the home of a confraternity: the Congrega di Santa Maria della Pietà, founded on the initiative of the town's fishermen and craftsmen.

History

The year the confraternity was founded is uncertain: Italy's national catalogue of cultural heritage considers it to have been active already in the early 17th century, while other local sources give 1616. For centuries the brothers met in a small oratory in the upper part of town, the Maio, which the historian Giuseppe D'Ascia described in 1867 as standing next to the parish church. Even then the confraternity's most precious painting could be admired there: the Deposition by Andrea Vaccaro.

After 1883 the confraternity had to leave its old oratory; according to its tradition, the painting was brought to safety. For some years the brothers met in the former church of San Giovanni Battista; then, in January 1897, the prior Nicola Ferrari asked the municipality for a plot on the seafront, and the Town Council granted it. On 7 June 1897 Bishop Giuseppe Candido laid the foundation stone; on 23 December the painting was carried in procession to the new church, which was blessed the following day by parish priest Giuseppe Morgera. On 25 December 1897 the brothers met there for the first time.

A plaque on the façade, placed by the brothers in the centenary year, recalls the old oratory in the Maio and its rebirth on this site. The choice of the coast was no accident: after 1883 many important buildings, including the Pio Monte della Misericordia spa hospice, were reborn lower down, towards the sea.

What to see inside

• On the high altar, the Deposition by Andrea Vaccaro, a 17th-century Neapolitan painter, dating from around 1635; the parchment certificate of authenticity is kept in the sacristy.
• The 1927 paintings along the nave walls, devoted to the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
• The brothers' wooden choir stalls, made in 1926 by a local craftsman.
• The single-nave layout, with the chancel separated by a round arch.

The church was renovated in 1973 (ceiling, walls, façade, door and frames) and restored in 1995.

Traditions

The confraternity is linked to the Passionist Fathers of the monastery of San Gabriele, who provide its spiritual care: this is why a statue of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, a much-loved saint in Casamicciola, is also venerated in the church.

Where it is and how to get there

The church is on Corso Luigi Manzi, on the seafront, a few minutes' walk from Piazza Marina and the harbour. A little further on is the large Pio Monte della Misericordia complex.

What to see nearby

Walking along the seafront you reach Piazza Marina and the Buon Consiglio church, the Sailors' Church. Heading inland and uphill you come to the basilica of Santa Maria Maddalena and, in the Maio, the Purgatorio church.