| Because of the fact we have small pieces of information, we don’t know enough about the origins of St. Lucia church. It is believed that a farm, close to an old crypt dedicated to St. Lucia were already built in the current place. In 1895, the current church was built on it, within the new area of the town. According to Olivieri’s text signed by the Chairman of the Confraternity Stefano Aversa, thanks to many rich men and the devotion of many inhabitants who on their 's own initiative, took on the financial commitment, the foundation stone of the new church was laid on the ancient crypt dedicated to Saint Lucia. The church has a rectangular plan with five altars, a painting of St Lucia, made by an unknown artist, placed on the 2nd right- side altar . This church is dedicated to the young Lucia, martyr in Siracusa during the persecutions ordered by Diocletian the Emperor. According to Alfredo Cattabiani, a scholar interested in popular traditions, who explains that the day of 13th December, the day of Her death, in the first half of XIVth century was the day of the winter solstice because of the passage from Julian calendar and the solar year. Before the calendar reform (1852), the winter solstice was much closer to the 13th December than today.
The 13th December became the St. Lucia Day |