The Cattedrale di Sale of Realmonte

Realmonte, a small town of about five thousand inhabitants in the province of Agrigento, offers many treasures, especially from nature, to be discovered and known. We immediately think of the Scala dei Turchi, a very famous and particular stairway of white rock that plunges to the sea; Capo Rossello and Monterosso, particular promontories of red calcarenite which, as the Scala dei Turchi, gently end in the sea and it is closed to the Valle dei Templi, an exceptional archaeological site inserted among the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

Moving away from the natural beauties of the coast of Realmonte, approximately 2.5 Km from the inhabited center we find the ancient Salt Mine, a deposit formed about 6 million years ago and, now, together with the mine of Racalmuto and that of Petralia Soprana, one of three Sicilian rock salt mines still active. The mine is renowned for the quality of the mineral extracted from it: an excellent cooking salt, kainite, and other potassium salts. The length of its multi-storey tunnels, which extend underground about 25 km crossing the territories of Siculiana and Raffadali, is impressive. Managed by the Italkali company, huge quantities of cooking salt, industrial salt and other potassic salts are extracted every day. But the real "treasure" is inside the mine, less than 100 meters below the surface and 30 meters below sea level, the Cattedrale di Sale di Realmonte, a treasure unique in the world both for its location and for its characteristics. The structure, created entirely by miners and directly sculpted in the salt rock, can be reach via shuttle bus and through tunnels and tunnels of various levels, excavated by the miners themselves.

20 meters wide, 8 meters high and with a length of about 100 meters, the Cattedrale di Sale di Realmonte has nothing to envy to others in terms of its size. Moreover, according to some experts, it presents acoustics that far surpass the most sophisticated Opera Theaters and can host up to 800 seats. It is precisely here that the Mass of Saint Barbara, protector of miners, is celebrated on December 4th of each year. Among the works of major interest, we mention the altar, sculpted in a big block of salt; the ambo, also sculpted in a block of salt, and the bishop’s seat. The wall that closes the apse is sculpted with a low-relief portraying Santa Barbara; the left wall features a low-relief of Jesus on the Cross, while on the left wall we have a low-relief of the "Holy Family”.

Visits are allowed only on reservation and only on the last Wednesday of each month. At up to 30 people with a small bus. The group will be equipped with all the necessary equipment for its safety (helmets with torch, boots, etc.) and accompanied by a guide. It is not possible to access more people because, being the working mine today, it would interfere with normal work activities. Precisely for this reason it is not always obvious to easily book a visit like in a museum and especially in a short time. In any case ... do not despair, arm yourself with holy patience and try to contact Italkali. These are the references to ask for information or book visits: 0922 816244 0922 816777

Cattedrale della Miniera di Sale - Realmonte (Ag)

contrada Scavuzzo, 92010 Realmonte

The Scala dei Turchi

Stair of the Turks, 92010 Realmonte, Province of Agrigento, Italy