Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta - Erice

The Real Chiesa Madrice Insigne Collegiata , better known as the Real Duomo or Cathedral of Erice, is the main place of Catholic worship and mother church of Erice, located in Piazza Matrice, near Porta Trapani .

Oral tradition concerns the construction of a primitive Christian temple during the time of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD , at a time when the temple of Venus Ericina was demolished, or at least closed. Since that time , the people of Erice embraced the Christian religion and built a small church to the Virgin Mary, from which emerged the current building.

The Royal Cathedral was built during the first decades of the 14th century. This was located next to the quadrangular watchtower, built during the Vespers Wars, and later converted into a bell tower with stained glass windows at the end of the 14th century.

In 1426, the pronaos (external porch) with pointed arches, called Gibbena (from Age Bene: behave well), was added by the archpriest Bernardo Militari to house the public penitents who came to atone for very serious sins.

On the wall of the current church are nine Greek crosses from the pagan temple.

Willem Vandenameele