Church of S. Antonio Abate

The church already existed on the ancient site of Giarratana, "Torrevecchia." It is documented as early as the 14th century as a "sacramental church." It was the site of the veneration of the Madonna della Neve, who was proclaimed "principal patron saint of the civitas " in 1644, but had long been invoked as the protector of the lands and inhabitants of Giarratana. Destroyed along with the ancient town in the 1693 earthquake, it was rebuilt in the highest part of the town, "u Cuozzu," in 1748 and consecrated in 1783. The Baroque façade dominates the current town. It is divided into three tiers adorned with semi-columns, the upper one used as a belfry (tower façade). The main door features a double-headed eagle in asphaltic stone with the inscription "Prima Basilica." The second tier features a large mosaic window depicting Saint Anthony and the Madonna of the Snows , while the sides feature statues of Saint Francis of Paola and Saint Anthony of Padua , both sculpted by Moschetto. In the bell chamber, the largest bell, dating back to 1647, comes from the old church and bears a Latin inscription dedicating it to the Madonna of the Snows. The interior is divided into three naves, decorated with gilded stucco in the central nave and in the chapels of the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Saint Anthony. The stucco, created between 1880 and 1890, is attributed to Luigi Sensale. The floor of the central nave features a rare alternation of asphaltic stone and majolica tiles from the late eighteenth century. Two holy water stoups, also made in asphaltic stone, date back to the nineteenth century. The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows is a popular destination during Lent. Indeed, around Holy Week, the "Settina" (feast) to Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated. On the high altar, the chapel houses the 16th-century statue of Our Lady of the Snows, originally from the ancient town, along with its 18th-century gilded canopy in classical Baroque style. In the presbytery, the carved wooden choir houses the presbytery throne, made of carved wood and gilded silver. Inside the church, the bodies of illustrious citizens are kept, and some members of important local families are buried in the building's basement. The church also houses:

• a canvas by the Ragazzi (San Francesco di Paola and San Corrado), in the left aisle next to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament;
• a statue of St. Anthony of 1626, coming from the church destroyed by the earthquake;
• a canvas with Glory or ecstasy of Saint Anthony perhaps attributable to the school of Novelli, from the first half of the seventeenth century;
• painted with the Our Lady of the Snows by the priest Gaetano Distefano, from 1865, placed above the entrance to the sacristy, at the end of the right aisle;
• canvas with Martyrdom of St. Stephen, attributed to Mauri, in the left aisle;
• statue of the Madonna Assumed into Heaven from 1904, by Giuliano da Palazzolo Acreide