CIARAMITARO Family Marriage and Birth Records - Sancta Maria Sanctissima Della Grazia Catholic Church

From an historical and artistic point of view the Cathedral of Santa Maria delle Grazie, rebuilt in the middle of the 18th century, is the highlight of a visit to Terrasini. The original church was built in 1663 by Baron Donato Gazzara, and dedicated to Our Lady of Grace.

The church entrance is located between the two bell towers. The façade is a double row of columns, with a central niche where you can see the 'Madonna delle Grazie', while next to that are the statues of Saint Joseph and Saint Peter.

The cathedral interior, in the Romanesque style, has three aisles. Above the main altar stands a painting by Gioacchino Martorana (1735-1779) depicting the "Madonna delle Grazie, Santa Rosalia, San Francisco and San Vito".

On the walls of the chancelry are other paintings from the 18th century that depict some aspects of the life of the Virgin Mary, such as "The Birth of Mary" and "Admission to the temple." There are also numerous wooden sculptures by Girolamo Bagnasco(1759-1832).

Cathedral Records for our Ciaramitaro Family

My heartfelt thanks to the staff at the Ufficio Dello Stato Civile - Commune di Terrasini, Sicilia (Office of Vital Records in Terrasini, Sicily) for responding to my requests. And to those generous and helpful genealogists who helped me transcribe the records from their original Italian.