Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory

The church, originally built in 1688, is characterized by the elegance and the motion of the eighteenth-century facade of Borrominian inspiration, by the architect Giovanni Biagio Amico. On it, in fact, alternate niches, columns and statues of the twelve apostles, made by Alberto Orlando. 

The church is particularly known for the fact that it houses the twenty sculptural groups of the Mysteries, performed between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by masters of Trapani with the particular technique of “wood and canvas glue. These statues, almost life-size, represent scenes from the Passion inspired by episodes mentioned in the sacred texts or in the apocryphal gospels: each sculptural group is associated with a “class” of the city, including the typical trades practiced in this area in ancient times, such as fishermen, goldsmiths and salt workers.  

Do not miss the moment when the procession of Good Friday begins, with the exit of the groups from this church, carried on the shoulders of bearers of certain classes and devotees, to continue their journey along the streets of the centre of Trapani surrounded by a crowd of participants flocked to this fascinating event of Holy Week. 

General Domenico Giglio Street