Santa Maria Maggiore, Nicosia

The church was initially called Santa Maria la Scala, presumably because of its elevation atop a hill relative to the town.

The altar in the right nave has a 17th-century crucifix by Vincenzo Calamaro, whose veneration grew when it was used in processions during plague epidemics in past centuries.

In the altar on the left is a copy of the Crucifixion by Tintoretto found in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice.

The church has a wooden episcopal throne, putatively used by Emperor Charles V on his visit of the city, and thus now decorated with a Hapsburg double headed eagle.

In the church are some wooden icons attriputed to Giambattista Li Volsi; a marble Madonna attributed to Francesco Laurana; and an altarpiece depicting the Martyrdom of St Lawrence by Giacomo Campione.