Cattedrale di Maria Santissima delle Vittorie

The Cathedral of Maria Santissima delle Vittorie rises above Piazza Duomo in Piazza Armerina. Rebuilt from 1627 under the direction of Orazio Torriani, it is marked by a large dome completed in 1768 and preserves works from the earlier church.

Why it matters

The cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, established in 1817. Its dedication is associated with a longstanding local tradition about a banner given to Count Roger by Pope Nicholas II in 1059 and the venerated image of the Madonna delle Vittorie.

What to notice

The dome, completed in 1768, dominates the church’s position in the city’s upper quarter. The interior has a single nave with interconnected side chapels. The Cappella Trigona’s alabaster arch, carved by Antonuzzo Gagini in 1594, comes from the earlier church. The cathedral also preserves paintings, silverwork, a carved wooden choir and a pipe organ by Donato del Piano, dated 1741.

Context and history

A three-nave church stood on this site before the present building. Baron Marco Trigona’s bequest supported its replacement, whose construction was commissioned in 1627 and designed by Orazio Torriani. Work reached completion in 1740, and Bishop Matteo Trigona consecrated the church in 1742. The dome followed in 1768. In 1881, Giuseppe Giunta Bartoli designed the steps at the portals.