San Pietro church

From the Paleo-christian age to the best form of Technology

The church dedicated to San Pietro is a very ancient one. The first building belongs to the Paleochristian age and it is said that the same San Pietro preached there. In 1076 was the Norman Ruggero d'Altavilla who asked for a sacred building in the same place and there Pietro d'Aragona formally swore to keep the promised privileges for Trapani. In this same church Carlo V, gave the city the Turkish vexillum gained after the Tunis' campaign in 1535. The last rebuilding of the church has been realized in the second half of XVI c. and was projected by Giovan Biagio Amico (1775).

The church dedicated to San Pietro is a very ancient one. The first building belongs to the Paleochristian age and it is said that the same San Pietro preached there. In 1076 was the Norman Ruggero d'Altavilla who asked for a sacred building in the same place and there Pietro d'Aragona formally swore to keep the promised privileges for Trapani. In this same church Carlo V, gave the city the Turkish vexillum gained after the Tunis' campaign in 1535. The last rebuilding of the church has been realized in the second half of XVI c. and was projected by Giovan Biagio Amico (1775). San Pietro is the only one in Trapani which has  five aisles like  a Basilica. Inside the church are preserved a picture by Carreca which represent Jesus Christ asking sant'Andrea to become his apostle besides a picture of  San Paolo by Marcello Provenzano and two beautiful wooden sculptures: the Crucifix by Giuseppe Milanti and the Pietà by Francesco Nolfo. The high altar is really interesting: it reach almost half of the church hight! But what is the very mastepiece in the church is the Organ. It is considered one of the most spectacular musical instruments in the world. It was worked by Francesco La Grassa in 1836 and is compound of seven keyboards on three consolle that set in action 5000 organ pipes. This Organ can reproduce the sounds of several different musical instruments and perhaps even the human voice. It has been recently restored and it need three organists in the same time to be played.