MONASTERY OF MADONNA DELLE LACRIME

Since 1579, the Capuchin Fathers’ complex has stood outside the town of Ferla. Today known as the Monastery of Madonna delle Lacrime, it houses the cloistered nuns of the Third Order Regular.

Rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, the building preserves the sober elegance typical of Franciscan conventual structures, with a single-nave church that invites contemplation.

Inside, the 18th-century walnut high altar dedicated to the Madonna Odigitria stands out, surrounded by late-Baroque furnishings and exquisite wooden carvings from the early 20th century by Sebastiano De Marco.

Notable are the balustrade-style iconostases from 1760 that adorn the side chapels.

The heart of the monastery is the evocative internal courtyard, where the portico, the ancient well, and the sundials create an architectural space of great charm, once enriched by a scenic garden.

The true treasure of the complex is the historical library: containing about 2,000 volumes of theology and philosophy spanning from the 16th to the 19th century, it testifies to the convent’s ancient role as a center for study and spirituality in the Hyblaean region.