Church of S. Maria del Carmine
Located on a rocky ridge of the hill of Mistretta, position that enhances its monumental role, the church could be the enlargement of one of the earliest Christian votive chapels of the town. Some scholars date its origins to the XII century, but, due to the absence of scientific evidence, it is more probable to hypothesize its construction to XVI century (before 1593), when the presence of a chapel, smaller than the current temple, justified the name of the surrounding district, built at the foot of the castle.
There it was worshipped, then as now, a picture of Madonna and Child, painted on slate, to which the faithful erected a new temple in 1675 (the date is engraved and visible upon the lintel of the Baroque main portal in local stone).
The church, a simple hall with side chapels, is enriched with works of art thanks to the contribution of lay benefactors or members of the confraternity, which has been managing it since 1796. The premises adjacent to the chapel of the Madonna, used as meeting room and crypt for the deceased brothers, and the symmetric chapel dedicated to the Crucifix, were indeed built in the early years of the management by the confraternity. Further works on the façade with the bell tower and the inner cornice are documented in 1903. Among the preserved furnishings, together with valuable paintings, stuccos, and wooden statues, there is also a singular frontal in straw and wood, made in the second half of the seventeenth century (before 1750) on commission of Domenico Cinnirella, probably for an escaped shipwreck.