The originary church, appears on an existing mosque, was built in the twelfth century by Count Roger who called Santa Maria la Scala and inserted in the diocese of Troina
The subsequent increase of the population, due to the Lombard settlers led all`ingrandimento of the church, to be distinguished on 04/07/1207 by Cardinal Rodolfo, Bishop d`Albano from the smallest earlier, was called the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore: it was consecrated and papal delegate in Sicily (under Pope Clement IV); the consecration of the document was reported (as reported by the Provencal) on a marble table, placed in the ancient temple, which read: Rodulphus ingi (then?) recordatione Praesul Albanensis Sanctaeque sedis legatus vetustissimam hanc insignem Nicosinorum Matricem sub DULCISSIMAE Virginis Mariae Maioris appointment, tunc itidem Dicatum, consecrandam jure about duo Millesimo ducentesimoseptimo Idus Aprilis, deceased consecrationis monumentum Nicosiae ab eodem firmatum ...
To tell the Provencal, before the church was located a large floor where, in two porches (one at the side of el`altro Matrix towards Porta Maggiore), the market was held twice a week, Monday, in which ... you can enjoy the frankness for sellers and buyers still there ... and Saturday ... ne` such Possoni provedersi than all stand in need. Enlarged during the conflicts with the "Nicoleti", it was completed in 1454, and then built in "Collegiate" (with l`insegne of Spool, Mazzeta purple and negra, Cappa Magna and Armellino) in 1625, under the pontificate of Pope urban VIII.
The early church then collapsed in 1757 after the lavanca (landslide caused by landslides nature of the sandstone rocks which, in a few months, destroyed the church and several homes); the works of reconstruction of the basilica began in 1767, under the project and the architect Serafino Catania direction, but very slowly so continued that at the end of 1700, had been built only three navate.La basilica was completed in 1904, the date on which he was also consecrated by the bishop of the time, Msgr. Francesco Fiandaca, as recalled by the fresco by Ettore Ximenes in the vault.
The facade of the Basilica remained incomplete at the top; this anomaly two hypotheses are made:
- while the rich nobles had donated the altars and precious objects, the poor people, out of devotion to Our Lady, she contributed to the construction of the temple going to withdraw from the quarry of St. John the stones, which led to their destination (by foot or by mule) and they set it with his own hands, asking in return that the morphology of the facade should not be modified, as evidence of their commitment;
- The second hypothesis argues that the façade was left incomplete specially to symbolize the ruins of the Church.
The main portal (seventeenth century) the new church was donated by Baron`s Way Sant`Agrippina (should be the 4th Sant`Agrippina Baron, that Giacomo Maria Michele Wenceslao, or his son James, both living at that time), that saved him from his palace, anch`esso collapsed during l`avvallamento 1757; in elegant niches separated by Corinthian columns, you have placed the following pagan gods: on the left the god of wine Bacchus and Venus, goddess of love with Cupid with his bow; to the right the goddess Ceres, with a palm leaf in her hand, and the god of the winds Aeolus.
On the main facade there are two smaller doors: one to the left of the Congregation of the nobles of the pawnshop, which had the exclusive privilege of entering the church through it; and on the right the Jubilee door, which should open on that occasion.
The church has no bell tower, although it had been anticipated in the project iniziale.Di morphology of a Latin cross, inside the church is divided into three naves ending in three altars.
In the middle is the grand altar of neoclassic style, carved from Palermo Salvatore Valenti; behind you admire the superb marble Cona by Antonello Gagini, from the ancient church, where she had been placed already in 1512. In the axis vertical center it depicts the life of the Madonna (the Transit, the Nativity, l`Annunciazione and Coronation) , while at the sides, in elegant niches, are placed sculptures of some saints (the twelve Apostles half-length in the first order; Peter, Paul, Stephen and Lawrence in the second order of the sculpture; St. John with an eagle, San Matthew with the angel, St. Luke with the bull, St. Mark with the lion in the third order, the Virgin, the angel Gabriel, San Nicholas and Saint Lucia and the fourth row, Sant`Agata and San Giovanni Battista in the fifth order); on top there is the statue of St. Michael, with the unsheathed sword and dragon in chains at his feet.
Above, in the concavity of the apse, we see painted the fresco by Ettore Ximenez (dated in 1903), which depicts you the Coronation of the Virgin in a dominant position, with the presence at the bottom of the people from Nicosia (including Mgr. Ferdinando fiandaca, the Brotherhoods, some nobles Nicosiani and the mayor of that time John Cirino).
In the altar of the right hand is placed the crucifix of the Father of Mercy, built by Vincenzo Squid from Nicosia (XVII sec.), Which is still highly revered by the population because, in 1626, brought in procession through the streets of the village, freed from the plague that Nicosia the flagellated. To the left of the crucifix, a painting depicting the Capture of Jesus in the garden, while on the right there is a canvas representing Jesus with Veronica (both author unknown). Behind the crucifix instead, we find a picture of Giorgione, depicting the procession of penance during the plague.
The left hand altar, in the chapel of SS. Sacramento, has placed an altar frontal of the SS. Crucifix (XVII century, attributed to Stephen Li Volsi), made up of a decorative wooden panel (that covers the front of dell`altare) where he plays the Crucifixion, of a scheme taken from "The Crucifixion" by Tintoretto (canvas painted in 1565 and kept in the Great Scuola di San Rocco in Venice).
The panel is inserted in a frame on the sides, all`interno of four spiral columns, features depicted in relief four scenes of the Passion of Christ: Christ in the Garden of Olives, the Flagellation, Christ crowned with thorns and the Road to Calvary.
In the central scene, which takes place against the backdrop of a cloudy sky threatening that gives the feeling of an impending disaster, it depicts Jesus crucified Christ with outstretched arms that seem to embrace the world and that conflict with those abandoned the pious women gathered under the cross fainting; among them one recognizes the Virgin Mary grief stricken with near St. John the Evangelist.
On either side of Christ are to be hoisted on the crosses from both soldiers and torturers Disma (left) that the bad thief (right); some men on horseback, looking indifferent or complacent scene, are arranged symmetrically to the sides of the stage, forming a perspective plane gliding towards l`orizzonte. The towers and the walls of Jerusalem give depth all`insieme.
Among the colors predominates a yellow hue that makes the scene d`angoscia charge.
The left hand altar, in the chapel of SS. Sacramento, has placed an altar frontal of the SS. Crucifix (XVII century, attributed to Stephen Li Volsi); in the large panel is reproduced the scene of Golgotha during the Crucifixion; the background is depicted Jerusalem with its towers; the sides of the panel are seen in relief four episodes of the Passion: The Road to Calvary, Christ in the Garden of Olives, Christ crowned with thorns and the Flagellation.
The church also preserved the throne of Charles V, in black oak; it was originally built in 1518 as a priestly deadlock and, in 1535 during his visit to the city, it was used to make you sit the sovereign; since then it was no longer used as a priestly seat, but kept as a relic.
Behind the throne of Charles V, at the top, there is a small and ancient terracotta sculpture depicting an old woman sitting and lower eyelids hill that the claws of an eagle are to raise (as if to signify the passage from the Arabs to Christianity ), and below clearly marked l`iscrizione Greek NIKOX.
Other works of great interest are the wooden statues of the sculptor from Nicosia Giambattista Li Volsi (Sant`Onofrio Hermit and the Guardian Angel, which depicts the Archangel Raphael who leads the small Tobia); a marble statue of the Madonna (attributed to Francesco Laurana); The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, the canvas from Nicosia James Champion.
In the right transept, at the top of stucco, there is a medallion depicting the Madonna and next, on a cloud, the three saints Nicosiani who intercede for their people, and that is: St. Leo II Pope (allegedly from Nicosia), San (originally Blessed) Felice and San Luca Casale.
