translated with AI
The first information concerning the ancient Main Church dates back to 1300 when in a Vatican document the Church of Roccella was assigned to the Presbyter Giovanni, Protopapa, in 1324. In the following years, the same religious figure was reconfirmed in this role. From the mentioned investiture, we have confirmation of the existence of the Church and the prestige of being protopapal.
Over time, there has been a continuous growth of requests to the ecclesiastical authorities for assignments of Chapels, Altars, Benefices, etc., both from authorities and ordinary citizens. The Reverend Clergy initiated these endowments in 1538 when the Chapel of the Rosary was established, later dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, of which it held the patronage for centuries. Information drawn from the records of the pastoral visits of the Bishops reveals, albeit with little clarity, details such as in the 1541 report, where it is mentioned that the main altar was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, with the adjacent altar dedicated to the Body of Christ, later to the Most Holy Sacrament, and subsequently under the jurisdiction of the University of Roccella. There was a continuous increase in requests from various wealthy families to establish various Chapels and Altars. These patronages were dedicated to various saints over time, as documented by historical records: Chapel of Mary Most Holy of Loreto, Chapel of St. Leonard, Altar of St. James, Altar of St. John the Baptist, Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Chapel of the Most Holy Name of God, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Chapel of Our Lady of Grace, Chapel of the Blood of Christ, Chapel of St. Victor Martyr, and Our Lady of Grace. Beneath the Main Altar, in the lower level called the “Catacombs,” there were three altars: one dedicated to the Assumption under the patronage of the Laical Confraternity of the same name, and laterally the altars of the Souls in Purgatory and St. Anne.
From 1730 to 1740, there was a true revolution in the distribution of the various Chapels along the walls of the Church, carried out by Bishop Mons. Idelfonso Del Tufo, who desired this sacred place to be “clean and majestic.” Detailed instructions were given to aesthetically improve the various altars and the interior of the Church, suggesting types and quality of improvements to be made.
Furthermore, from the pastoral visit of 1731, the Bishop was impressed by the precarious state of the Church’s organ, stating: “I encouraged the Syndic and the Gentlemen of the Country to obtain a new one.” The problem was where to place the organ. According to the report of 1732: “No other place was found except above the main door, where traces of ancient superstructure or the Orchestra were still visible, but there was no convenient access because the City has more than one cliff, and the situation of the Church is narrow, making it impossible to create stairs from the same side as the Epistle (seaside) immediately bordering the Bell Tower erected last year and completed this year entirely with living stones by the piety of the Lady Princess who governs that state; therefore, an opening cannot be made. On the other side of the Gospel (mountain side), the walls of the Prince’s Palace border, so an opening could be made but with great suggestion from that House, as they could not enter except by passing through an antechamber of the same palace. Therefore, they decided to approach the aforementioned Lady Princess. A lady indeed of great piety and zeal, especially when it comes to Church and divine service, and they pleaded with her insistently to grant them these favors…”.
Presumably, during the reconstruction of the bell tower, the bells were placed above the Church, as indicated in various directives: “… That the bells be removed from the Church and placed in the Bell Tower, and the roof where they are presently… since the second bell of the Bell Tower is in danger of falling, and the others also have some need, we have ordered that within a month they all be repaired to avoid any mishap, and at the end of said period, if not repaired, the bell tower will be closed and the Vicar Foraneo will take the key”.
The Bishop’s proverbial intransigence arose from an untenable situation within the Main Church due to the high number of ecclesiastical institutions, so much so that he thought to merge them according to his criteria and distribute them all in six altars, three on each side and facing each other. Thanks to his suggestions, which sounded like strict commands, Roccella can enjoy one of the most beautiful works of the varied Roccella artistic panorama: the Statue of the Risen Christ. In a report from the Bishop’s visit to Roccella in May 1739, there is a sort of command for the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament to be provided with a Statue of the Risen Christ and not of the dead.
There is a meticulously written Platea from 1740 in the bishop’s archives, compiled by Archpriest Giovanni Marchese, which provides a wealth of information about the Church’s structure, the Bell Tower, the arrangement of Altars and Chapels, furnishings, and much more. This order of things is the conclusion of the Bishop Del Tufo’s incessant fervor, which in a decade managed to revolutionize, for the most part, an ancient and superficial system. Taking advantage of this research and information tool, we want to provide a brief contribution regarding other previously unknown or newly discovered information. To access the Catacombs, one could use the two small staircases on either side of the Main Altar or the entrance from the public street between Palazzo Carafa and the Church. In addition to the altars mentioned above, the Catacombs also housed the Crucifix of the Most Holy, the Maria Most Holy of the Seven Sorrows, and the Souls in Purgatory. Furthermore, there were the family sepulcher of the Alvaro family and the sepulcher of the brothers and sisters of the Most Holy Annunciation. Details of the existing bells on the Bell Tower are also reported, including information about the founder of the work, who commissioned it, and to whom it is dedicated.
The largest bell, which is the most important one, is described as follows:“Approximately one thousand pounds of metal are sculpted in it XIXNXRXIX Two Enterprises, or Arms of this City of Roccella, which contain St. Victor the Protector on horseback chasing the barbarians, among which Enterprises is the Image of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of Grace with the verses Santa Maria Ora pro nobis. Sancte Victor ora pro Nobis, and in the following: Doctor Johanne Baptiste Marchese, Hilario Nicosia, Fabritio Caristo, and Luca Arcà. In the Year of Salvation 1685, Work of Peter Sances”.
Such a description provides crucial historical information for Roccella. In 1685, the Noble Seat, led by Mayor Giovanni Battista Marchese, had the bell cast on the occasion of the municipal emblem’s selection: St. Victor Martyr on horseback kicking a barbarian. This symbol is still present in the Municipal Gonfalon of Roccella Jonica.
For two and a half centuries, this bell served its function of calling the faithful to various religious functions at the Main Church. But not only that, it was of great assistance for public utility. Over the centuries, its tolling outside of regular hours was recognized by the population as a serious alarm signal. The entire well-instructed population knew of the danger looming over Roccella: the attack of pirates.
All men were trained to defend the City, each defending a point of the city walls previously assigned. Its toll obliged everyone to return to the City. A self-defense system that marked Roccella’s history, writing pages of heroism, such as that of 1553, where the terrible corsair Dragut made memorable raids in Corsica, Sardinia, and other islands of the Mediterranean but had to succumb to the blows of the Roccella population to defend the City from plunder and pillaging. To this day, the echo of that desperate cry of the people remains:
Alarms alarms, the bell rings
The Turks have arrived at the coast.
Another piece of information about the Main Church is that the floor was a mosaic of burial niches: one for children, one for the Reverend Priests placed in front of the Altar of the Immaculate Conception, one for the Company of the Most Holy Rosary, two for the Company of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, one for the sisters, and one for the brethren, one for the Confraternity of St. Victor martyr for both the sisters and the brethren. Additionally, there were 8 private sepulchers of prominent families, some of which are known: Pasqualino, De Simone-Manfrè, Marchese, Maiorana, which was located in front of the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament.
The earthquake of 1783 did not cause significant damage to the Main Church: “damaged in several parts of the high walls, and the bell tower damaged in such a way that it must collapse.”
Religious life continued throughout the 1800s, where various municipal administrations had to dedicate attention and resources to maintain the Main Church suitable for its functions, being owned by the municipality.
Already from the mid-1800s, there was a need to transfer the Parish of St. Nicholas of Bari to the Marina, as a large part of the population had long abandoned the old City. The Main Church, with the passage of time, had become increasingly decrepit, and the usual renovations were no longer sufficient to make it usable.
The last religious function in the Church, which marked the end of its life and an era, was a funeral for an old woman who still lived up there, in the City, celebrated on October 18, 1931. Immediately after, it was closed for worship, and the sacred furnishings, including the altars, were transferred to the new Main Church, recently restored, located on Via XXV Aprile, where they can be admired.