Anime Sante del Purgatorio, Trapani

Anime Sante del Purgatorio (English: Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory) is a Baroque church in the historic centre of Trapani, Sicily. It is best known as the custodial home of the Misteri di Trapani, a cycle of sculptural groups used in the city’s annual Good Friday procession. The building incorporates earlier structural phases but largely reflects architectural developments of the 17th and 18th centuries.^[1]

The church was established in 1688 at the initiative of the nobleman Domenico Viola, who commissioned a new building to replace earlier structures on the site.^[2] The initial design is attributed to the architect Pietro Castro, who defined the Latin-cross plan and internal spatial layout. Construction progressed with the support of local confraternities, including those responsible for organising the Misteri procession.

Substantial alterations took place in the early 18th century. Between 1712 and 1714 the architect Giovanni Biagio Amico, a leading figure of the Sicilian Baroque, redesigned the main façade and directed further works that gave the church much of its present form.^[2][3] Amico maintained a long association with the building and was later buried inside it.

By the late 18th century the church had become the permanent repository of the twenty sculptural groups of the Misteri di Trapani, which continue to play a central role in the city’s devotional life. The building has undergone several conservation campaigns, and the sculptures have occasionally been moved during restoration works, including a temporary transfer to the Church and College of the Jesuits in 2025 to permit structural interventions at Purgatorio.^[4]

The church has a Latin-cross plan with three naves separated by arcades resting on substantial pillars.^[2] Its interior reflects post-Tridentine spatial organisation, with side chapels formerly associated with various confraternities. These chapels contain altars, sculptural works and paintings that illustrate the development of sacred art in Trapani during the early modern period.

The principal façade, completed under Amico, is considered a characteristic example of Baroque architecture in the city. It features an undulating profile composed of alternating concave and convex forms, drawing on Roman Baroque models.^[3] The composition includes columns, broken pediments and a sequence of niches that articulate the vertical structure of the elevation.

A notable feature of the exterior is the series of twelve statues of the Apostles, executed in stuccoed stone by the sculptor Alberto Orlando in the early 18th century.^[3] These figures stand along the upper tier of the façade and contribute to its distinctive silhouette. Inside, the church houses the Misteri groups—life-size sculptural tableaux depicting episodes of the Passion—which are displayed in the side aisles when not in use during the Good Friday procession.

• The façade
• Detail of a statuary group
• Detail of a niche on the façade
• Groups of the Misteri kept inside the church