Knight's Arch (or Monumental Arch)

This is one of the symbolic sites that testify to a centuries-old tradition of the territory along the road that connects Custonaci and Valderice, in the former trazzera del cavaliere Rizzuto – called via del Cavaliere. The chapel has a square plan, open on four sides with pillars and surmounted by a dome, dated between the end of ‘400 and early ‘500. The relic of the painting of the Madonna has always collected the devotion of the entire Erice countryside. The relic was transported to Erice (and vice versa) during the procession dedicated to Madonna of Custonaci, patron saint of the large town of Erice and usually deposited in the chapel during the stop, around which gathered many believers.
A new complex was erected in 1847 and from that moment the chapel became a place of rest for those who crossed the trazzera. It was customary to leave votive offerings during the stop as thanksgiving. Today the reconstruction of the chapel remains and a side with the original arch and an altar in the centre of the little church. The chapel represents both the strong religious sentiment, still alive in the area, and the economic role and connection that Valderice had in time until two centuries ago.