Church of Sant'Alberto

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The history of Sant'Alberto extends beyond the church itself, connecting Erice with devotion to one of western Sicily's most important saints, the charitable work of its confraternities and the changing fortunes of the historic centre.

Sant'Alberto and Erice

Saint Albert of Trapani, or Alberto degli Abati, was a medieval Carmelite friar who became the patron saint of Trapani and one of the most important saints associated with western Sicily. His connection with Erice, however, is also an old one.

A notarial document from 1423 records that the people of Erice regarded Sant'Alberto as a fellow citizen (concittadino). This reflects a longstanding local tradition that Alberto was born in Erice rather than Trapani.

The tradition was associated particularly with the Palazzo Abbati, the former residence of the degli Abati family on the site later occupied by the Franciscan church and convent of San Francesco, or Spirito Santo. The 19th-century Ericine historian Giuseppe Vito Castronovo, drawing on earlier local historians, recorded the palace as the traditional birthplace of Sant'Alberto.

The historical birthplace of the saint cannot be established with certainty, and he remains conventionally known as Saint Albert of Trapani. The Ericine tradition is nevertheless significant: it helps explain both the early dedication of this church and the particular devotion to Sant'Alberto within Erice.

The Compagnia dei Bianchi

In 1568, the Compagnia dei Bianchi established its seat at Sant'Alberto. The confraternity operated a Monte di Pietà, providing assistance to the poor, but its responsibilities also extended to one of the more solemn forms of religious charity: accompanying and giving spiritual support to people condemned to death.

The confraternity's presence was closely connected with the subsequent development of the building. Sant'Alberto was enlarged in 1578 and again during the early 17th century, with the town itself contributing to the works through civic subscriptions.

The statue of Sant'Alberto

One of the church's most significant surviving works is the marble statue of Sant'Alberto, donated by the patrician Antonio Palma in 1640 and attributed to Nicolò Travaglia. It was made for the high altar but remained away from its original setting for much of the second half of the 20th century.

In 1951, the statue was removed from Sant'Alberto and placed outdoors in Piazzetta San Giuliano, beside the Church of San Giuliano. It remained there for more than sixty years and became a familiar feature of the square.

In 2015, the statue was restored and returned to Sant'Alberto. The intervention was financed in connection with the production of the film At War with Love, which was partly filmed in Erice. Under heritage supervision, the sculpture was reinstated in its original position on the high altar.

Decline and revival

During the 19th and 20th centuries, devotion to Sant'Alberto declined and the Compagnia dei Bianchi was eventually dissolved. The church fell out of regular religious use and, particularly after the Second World War, acquired a succession of very different functions.

At various times it served as a social hall, artisan workshop and theatre, reflecting a period when the building had largely lost its original religious role.

Following restoration, Sant'Alberto reopened for worship in 2007 under Archpriest Pietro Messana. The subsequent return of the marble statue in 2015 reunited the church with the principal work originally created for its high altar.