3. Church of St Mary of the Miracles or the Bammina

The church occupies the base of a rocky outcrop south of Ibla, outside the built-up area (Fig. a). A sacred image, a Madonna and Child, determined the location on which to build the church, which, however, remained incomplete.
The factory, which dates back to the mid-17th century, has a central plan and an octagonal shape, a rare design in Sicily (Fig. b). This layout was probably conceived by an educated designer, perhaps in contact with the Roman society (most likely with Bernini’s circle), which leads us to hypothesise the presence in Ragusa of a great personality of Baroque architecture.
Only the three central architraves are finished (Figs. c, e); the side ones are surmounted by rectangular windows with a smooth appearance (Figs. d, f).
At the end of the 19th century, after being closed for worship, it was used as a mortuary. In the 1950s, it was sold to a private individual and later acquired by the Municipality of Ragusa.