Description of the attraction
The Gibilmann Temple is a Christian sanctuary located in the province of Palermo near the city of Cefalu. It stands 800 meters above sea level on the slope of Pizzo Sant'Angelo, which is part of the Madoni mountain range.
According to legend, Gibilmann was one of six Benedictine monasteries built by order of Pope Gregory I the Great at his own expense even before he was elected to the holy throne. And earlier on this place there was a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael.
Most likely, the building of the monastery lay in ruins when these territories were conquered by the Arabs in the 9th century, and in its small church there were several hermit dwellings. After Sicily fell under the rule of the Normans, active construction of Christian churches began here. In 1178, new mentions of Gibilmann appear, and in 1228 it became a priory - a small monastery subordinate to the abbey, and thus no longer belonged to the Benedictines.
In 1535, Father Sebastiano Mayo da Gratteri, one of the first followers of the Capuchins, settled in Gibilmann. A new monastery was built next to the old Benedictine chapel, and at the beginning of the 17th century it was decided to replace the chapel with a new church. Major construction work was completed in 1623, and the sacristy and entrance staircase were added in 1625. There was a portico in front of the facade. The new church received, so to speak, inherited from the old icon depicting the Madonna and Child, Byzantine frescoes, a statue of the Virgin Mary and a crucifix, also made in the Byzantine style. A new painting was commissioned for the main throne depicting the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The old chapel was completely demolished. In the same 17th century, the monastery was expanded and ennobled - some works of art appeared here, including statues of St. John the Baptist and St. Helena. And in 1907, after the portico collapsed, the facade of the church was redesigned in the neo-Gothic style.
