[MARSALA] The statues of Saints Peter and Paul returned to their splendor – VIDEO

They found them in the choir loft of the church, where it had been difficult to get to for years because the staircase was no longer there. Don Vito Buffa, rector of the Ss. Pietro e Paolo church in via Yesterday afternoon the two statues of Saints Peter and Paul were presented to the city after a careful conservative restoration carried out by Gaetano Alagna from Marsala. The two valuable works, made of poplar wood hollowed out inside, date back to the 16th century and belong to the church which was part of the monastic complex. That of San Pietro was the first to be built, according to an initial investigation, in the early 16th century. The Saint, in his original manufacture, was also sculpted with a long cope. Of this there remains a painting in the back which Gaetano Alagna restored, bringing it back to its beauty.

«No part has been integrated – explains Alagna – only the keys in the hands of St. Peter have been added and the sword in one hand to St. Paul». The statue of Saint Paul, on the other hand, was made shortly after that of Saint Peter, presumably around the mid-1500s. «The two works are neither signed nor dated – explains historian Maurizio Vitella – but, through the comparative method, we can assume that the one of Saint Peter was commissioned to the Matinati workshop in Messina, while the one of Saint Paul is likely to be from the western area, very close to the style of the Lo Cascio workshop». At the presentation of the restoration yesterday in the church-rectory (owned by the Fondo Edifici di Culto, an agency of the Ministry of the Interior) there were the vice Prefect Luciano Zanta Platamone, the rector of the church Don Vito Buffa, the priests Don Marco Renda, Don Vincenzo Greco, Don Mariano Narciso and the Bishop Emeritus of Ragusa Monsignor Carmelo Cuttitta. Holy Mass is celebrated every morning at 7:30 in the church-rectory (on Sundays, in the summer, at 8).

VIDEO

The works after the restoration.