Salaparuta Ruins

What remains of the old inhabited centre of Salaparuta, destroyed by the 1968 earthquake, is a mass of ruins including those of houses, the base of the square tower of the Paruta Castle, the lower part of the perimeter walls of the Mother Church, with the bases of the nave pillars and the structure of the side altars. The church, with its Basilica plan, three naves, transept and tall dome, had a façade that soared upwards in the centre, typical of the best examples of Sicilian Baroque. On the external wall of Sancetta house, a small niche commemorates the place where the miraculous tears of the plaster bedside artwork, depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus, took place in January 1957. Recent restorations have recovered the XVIII century Capuchin monastery.