The Church of San Martino in Erice, located in the small square of the same name, is one of the most elegant and significant religious buildings in the town, not only for its architecture but also for the deep historical and cultural value it holds. Tradition attributes its foundation to Count Roger the Norman in the 12th century, although the earliest document attesting to its existence dates from 1339, when the church was in the Gothic style, as were most of the sacred buildings in Erice at the time.
The current appearance of the church is the result of a thorough reconstruction that took place in 1682, designed by architect Matteo Gebbia, thanks to bequests and prebends from wealthy local patricians. The consecration took place in 1698, while during the 18th century the building was further embellished with neoclassical stuccoes, frescoes and pictorial works, particularly by brothers Antonio and Vincenzo Manno. Decorative interventions continued in 1858, with the addition of further stucco, canvases, chandeliers and the use of libeccio marble for the altars.
The interior, with a three-nave basilica plan, is marked by ten Tuscan columns separating the spaces. The nave is covered by a lunetted barrel vault, while the transept is surmounted by a dome. The square apse houses one of the jewels of the church: the wooden Rococo choir made in 1761 by Leonardo Castelli, who also designed the exquisite pulpit. The flooring is also of great value: partly made up of tomb slabs from the 17th and 18th centuries, and partly decorated with majolica tiles that echo an 18th-century design, original only near the side altars.
Among the works of art preserved is a 16th-century painting on slate stone of Our Lady of Grace, modified in the 18th century to recall the iconography of the Madonna of Custonaci, and a magnificent wooden statue of St. Martin on horseback, made in 1556 by the Ericino artist Gianmatteo Curatolo.
Attached to the church are rooms of great interest: the Sala della Congrega del Purgatorio, a small 18th-century oratory with a distinct Rococo flavor, decorated with stucco work, frescoes by Antonio Manno and original wooden furnishings, and the adjoining 16th-century cloister, overlooked by the former premises of the Congregation’s school.
The church façade is sober but enriched by a fine 18th-century Baroque portal, framed by protruding elements that play with light and shadow, and surmounted by the effigy of St. Martin. At the top rises the small clock tower, unobtrusive but harmoniously integrated with the architecture of the whole.
For centuries, St. Martin’s Church also served as the Mother Church during periods when the latter was uninhabitable, and witnessed important local events, including during the Risorgimento. Its history and artistic heritage make it an essential stop for those who want to know the most authentic and fascinating face of Erice.