Chiesa di Stella Maris

The modern parish church of Stella Maris in Tellaro preserves a celebrated mid-fourteenth-century Madonna panel and other historic works transferred from the older parish church of San Giorgio.

Why it matters

The church's modern architecture contrasts with its important medieval collection. The gold-ground Madonna, Child and Angels is attributed to the anonymous Maestro della Madonna di Tellaro and is generally dated to the mid-fourteenth century. Its restoration revealed a composition that had been largely hidden beneath a gilded metal cover.

What to notice

In the panel, the Christ Child reads while angels hold a drapery rendered through incised lines in the gold ground. The work has been associated with Lombard followers of Giotto and is also known as the Vergine della Consolazione. The church also preserves a seventeenth-century reliquary attributed to Roman silversmith Francesco Comi and a bronze crucifix set in a frame with lapis lazuli and jasper.

Context and history

San Giorgio on the spur served as Tellaro's parish church for centuries. A newer church dedicated to Maria Stella Maris later took on that role, and historic furnishings were moved there. The Madonna panel's metal cover concealed most of its painted surface until restoration. The name Stella Maris, 'star of the sea,' reflects the church's setting in a historic fishing community.