Church of the Annunziata

The Church of the Annunziata and its adjoining convent were founded in 1423 by the archpriest Bernardo Militari, who converted his own palazzo to establish a house for the Carmelite Order. Situated immediately inside Porta Carmine, one of the gateways through the Elymian-Punic Walls, the complex became an important centre of Carmelite life in Erice for more than four centuries.

Originally built in the Gothic style, the church contained six altars and a series of side chapels founded by local noble families. Among its artistic treasures were marble statues of the Annunciation and the Archangel from the Gagini school, a marble statue of Saint Albert by Giovanni Travaglia dating from 1670, and a collection of 18th-century oil paintings. In 1738, Pope Clement XII granted perpetual privileges to the church's high altar.

The Carmelite convent was suppressed in 1866. After a period of disuse, the complex was restored and adapted for new purposes, with the former convent buildings now occupied by the Hotel Il Carmine. The church remains open for worship and today forms part of the Diocese of Trapani's heritage project Erice, la Montagna del Signore.