Church of the Annunziata

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Discover the history, architecture, archaeology, people and events connected with this place, with more detailed information about its origins, development and significance.

Bernardo Militari and the foundation

The Church of the Annunciation and its Carmelite convent were founded in 1423 by Bernardo Militari, an important ecclesiastical figure in 15th-century Erice. Militari was archpriest of the town's Chiesa Matrice and a canon of the Cathedral of Mazara, and also played a prominent role in the civic life of Erice.

Rather than constructing an entirely new convent, Militari provided his own palace as the home of the Carmelite community. His foundation therefore incorporated a pre-existing private residence, helping to explain the mixture of domestic, religious and later architectural elements that survives within the complex.

Militari is also associated with work at the Chiesa Matrice, where Tusa identifies him with the construction of its pronaos. His involvement with both buildings places him among the significant patrons of 15th-century Erice.

The former palace and convent

The former convent is particularly significant for the surviving evidence of its origins as a private medieval residence.

Its austere stone exterior contains architectural elements belonging to different periods. Among the most distinctive is a mullioned window framed by decoration associated with the Chiaramonte Gothic tradition. The main convent portal and other openings record later alterations to the building.

Inside, the complex is organised around a courtyard in which Gothic features coexist with elements introduced during the 16th century. This mixture reflects the gradual transformation of Bernardo Militari's residence into a religious complex rather than the construction of a convent according to a single unified design.

The building consequently preserves several phases of Erice's architectural history within the same structure.

The church

The church was dedicated to the Annunciation but became widely known as the Chiesa del Carmine through its association with the Carmelite Order.

Its medieval structure was Gothic and consisted principally of a single nave, with side chapels added or altered at different periods. Local noble families established and endowed several of these chapels, contributing to the decoration of the church over successive centuries.

The façade and much of the interior were remodelled towards the end of the 19th century. Important elements of the earlier church nevertheless survive, particularly its ribbed vaulting.

In the first chapel on the left, the ribs of the vault spring from angular twisted supports with capitals decorated with angelic heads. The survival of these features provides evidence of the Gothic church beneath the later alterations.

Chapels and works of art

The church accumulated a significant collection of sculpture and devotional art through commissions made by local families.

A chapel dedicated to the Annunciation was founded in 1525 by the noble Giacomo Pilato and his brother. It contained a marble group of the Annunciation by Antonello Gagini. The original sculpture was subsequently transferred to the Cordici Museum, while a copy was placed in the church.

Another important work was a marble statue of Saint Albert of Trapani, carved by Giovanni Travaglia in 1670 and donated by the noble Alberto Palma. The church also possessed a relic of Saint Albert which was traditionally carried in procession on his feast day.

The high altar dates from around 1700 and was formerly associated with a marble image of the Madonna del Carmine, later transferred to the sanctuary at Trapani.

In 1738 Pope Clement XII granted perpetual privileges to the high altar.

Other chapels were altered as devotional practices changed. A chapel constructed in 1758 and originally dedicated to Sant'Angelo Martire, for example, was restored in 1896 and rededicated to Saint Joseph.

The Carmelites and 1866

The legislation suppressing religious corporations following Italian unification brought a period of considerable uncertainty for the Carmelite community and its property.

The Erice complex, however, escaped permanent confiscation. Carmelite historical accounts state that the convent itself was not ultimately suppressed and that the church and convent remained the property of the Order.

During the difficult period that followed, the buildings were temporarily closed and their condition deteriorated. The convent was at one stage rented to the Comune, but was subsequently recovered by the Carmelites following a dispute over unpaid rent.

The church was later restored through the efforts of the Carmelite Antonino Isca, who died in 1909. This phase corresponds with the substantial late-19th-century alterations to the church described by Tusa.

From convent to school

The former convent subsequently acquired an important educational function.

From 1900, its north-western wing was occupied by the Regia Scuola Complementare Vittorio Emanuele II. The educational use of this part of the complex continued under later institutions, including the school subsequently known as the Giuseppe Castronovo.

Other parts of the complex were used at different periods for cultural and civic activities, while the church itself experienced periods of closure.

These changing uses allowed the former convent to remain occupied even after the Carmelite community had ceased to use the entire complex in its original form.

The Carmine today

The former convent has since been restored and adapted as Hotel Il Carmine, allowing the historic complex to remain in use while retaining much of its architectural character.

Its rooms and communal spaces occupy parts of the former Carmelite buildings, whose irregular arrangement reflects their development from Bernardo Militari's 15th-century residence.

The adjoining Church of the Annunciation remains a Catholic place of worship and forms part of the Diocese of Trapani's Erice, la Montagna del Signore heritage project.

Together, the church and former convent preserve more than six centuries of religious, domestic and civic history within one of the most architecturally layered complexes in the historic centre of Erice.