| Building Name: | Sant'Oliva |
| Native Name: | Chiesa di Sant'Oliva |
| Native Name Lang: | it |
| Map Size: | 220px |
| Location: | Alcamo, province of Trapani, Italy |
| Coordinates: | 37.9806°N 12.9644°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Catholic |
| Region: | Sicily |
| State: | Italy |
| Province: | province of Trapani |
| Territory: | Alcamo |
| Patron: | Saint Olivia |
| Groundbreaking: | 1533 |
Sant'Oliva ("Saint Olivia") is a catholic church located in Alcamo, province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy.
The foundation of the Church of Saint Olivia dates back to 1533.[1] [2] Initially, the church had a nave and two aisles, in gothic-Catalan style.
In 1687 the Night Congregation of the Seven Pains, formed by artists, was founded in this church.
In 1724, the church was rebuilt in the present form, with a longitudinal plan that had one nave, after the design of Giovanni Biagio Amico, an architect from Trapani.
After its construction, the church gave the name to the square on which it faces (on the side of the main entrance), called piano Sant'Oliva. In the 17th century, the square was enlarged with the building of the Church of Our Lady of Stellario (finished in 1625) and the Church of Jesus in 1684. Probably during this period, the square was renamed piazza Maggiore: this name remained until 1875, when it was changed to the present one piazza Ciullo.
In 1927, the Congregation of Saint Rita, and in 1933, the Congregation of Our Lady of Sorrows, were founded in the church. Later, in 1949, Catholic Action (Azione Cattolica) began its activity inside it, thanks to local noblewoman, Donna Caterina Mistretta.[3]
During the night of 7–8 August 1987, a fire destroyed the ceiling of the church; it was rebuilt some years later thanks to the Sovrintendenza ai Beni Culturali of Sicily.[4]
In 1990, there were some restoration works on sculptures, paintings, two wooden organs, golden stucco frames and some wooden fittings belonging to the church.[5]
The church has two portals: the main one overlooks piazza Ciullo, while the other one, with the statue of Saint Olivia on it, faces Corso 6 Aprile. Initially, there was a main portal dating back to 1572, but after the acquisition of some funds in connection with the Great Jubilee, both doors were replaced by two golden bronze ones realized by Vincenzo Settipani, an architect. They were made to represent "Jesus while entering the Cenacle with closed doors" (on the main entrance) and "Jesus' entering Jerusalem" (on the side entrance).
At the corner of the church adjoining Corso 6 Aprile, there stands the bell tower, without a pinnacle.
Inside the Church there are marble polychrom altars made by Mariano and Simone Pennino. The walls are decorated by stuccoes created by Gabriele Messina in 1756, and by Francesco and Giuseppe Russo in 1771.
On the high altar, there is a painting called the Purgatory's Souls set free through the Mass' Sacrifice, realized by Pietro Novelli in 1639, and ordered by the Congregation of Purgatory.
Additionally, the church contains the following sculptures:
The baptistery made by Salvatore Occhipinti in 1947