The Mother Church

The Mother Church (Chiesa Madre) of Ferla, dedicated to Saint James the Greater, is the city’s primary place of worship.

Rebuilt after the devastating 1693 earthquake, it stands upon an ancient Hellenistic cemetery discovered along the building’s perimeter.

Above the Corinthian-style portal sits the Coat of Arms of the Municipality of Ferla: a bipartite shield on a blue background that blends the history of local noble families.

On the left, a golden lion rampant—a symbol of royalty—stands beside a ferula plant (a reference to the La Ferla family); on the right, a silver phoenix rises from the flames beneath a golden sun, the symbol of the Rau family.

Before the 1693 earthquake, which razed southeastern Sicily to the ground, the heart of social life beat in Piazza San Sebastiano.

There, the Mother Church and the Church of the Patron Saint defined the community’s ancient urban layout, testifying to Ferla’s historical continuity between its past and the Baroque reconstruction.