Church and Institute of Saint Joseph

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An ancient place of worship and burial, the Church of Saint Joseph bears witness to the deep devotion of the people of Serradifalco, combining sacred art, local history, and social commitment.

Chiesa e Istituto di San Giuseppe

Shortly after the mid-18th century, during the fourth pastoral visit of Bishop Lorenzo Gioeni, it was decided to close the cemetery area of the Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, as it was overcrowded and unsuitable for further development on the escarpment of the Cuba plateau. Consequently, a more suitable area for burials had to be identified. The site where the Church of Saint Joseph stands today was chosen, and the church thus took on a cemetery function, also evidenced by the existence of a crypt, now inaccessible.

The faithful of Serradifalco have always been devoted to the patriarch Saint Joseph, to the point of building this small church after the mid-1700s. A few years later, the sacred building was closed due to a lack of curates and chaplains, but above all for economic reasons. The last renovation dates back to 1925, and the bell tower was completed in 1930, contemporary with the two side bell towers of the Mother Church.

Next to the church, the Tertiary Sisters generously run the Saint Joseph Institute – a residential community for minors dedicated to Father Angelico Lipani. The single-nave church contains four side chapels: one houses the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, donated by the people on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of the institute in March 1927 through the cooperation of Mr. Gabriele Puglisi and Mr. Cammarata; another preserves the statue of Saint Leonard, probably the work of Luigi Guacci; while the other two host the statue of the Immaculate Virgin and an anonymous Crucifix. On the main altar stands the wooden group of Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus, a 1900 work by Francesco Biangardi, commissioned and donated by Mr. Giuseppe Insalaco. On the walls, noteworthy are several canvas prints depicting the Flight into Egypt, the Nativity, the Marriage of the Virgin, and the Holy Family. Flanking the altar are two paintings, one depicting the Good Death and the other the Madonna of Grace, both by unknown artists.

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