At the beginning of the 16th century, Nicolò La Priola, a Catalan merchant living in Ciminna, named the Convent of Saint Francis as the universal heir to all his movable and immovable property in his will. The entire bequest was intended to finance the construction of both the church and the adjoining convent.
The original 16th-century structure of the new church remained unchanged for only a short time. About a century later, Father Vincenzo Li Vaccari of Ciminna began an extensive renovation, which included the construction of the main chapel, the central dome, and the smaller domes covering the seven side chapels.
The work was later completed by Prior Salvatore La Vignera, who added the vaulted ceiling and a new central dome, as well as building a new dormitory and refectory for the convent.
Inside the Church
- Crucifix (mixed media: glue, paper, canvas, and plaster), created by Antonello Gagini, 1521.
- Tabernacle (marble), by Antonino Gagini, son of Antonello, 1538.
- Marble Arch (surviving fragments) from the Chapel of Santa Maria di Gesù, created by the Como-born sculptor Gabriele De Battista with the collaboration of Domenico Pellegrino and Giacomo De Benedictis, 1504.
- Santa Maria di Gesù (marble), attributed to Gabriele De Battista, early 16th century.
- The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia (oil on canvas), by Vincenzo La Barbera, 17th century.
- Our Lady of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Francis (oil on canvas), by an unknown Flemish painter, mid-17th century.
- The Immaculate Conception (oil on canvas), by Vito D’Anna of Palermo, 1766.
- Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (oil on canvas), attributed to the Ciminna-born painter Giovan Battista Mansella, second half of the 17th century.
- Saint Onuphrius the Hermit (oil on canvas), attributed to Filippo Randazzo of Palermo, early 18th century.
- Saint Anthony of Padua (oil on canvas), signed and dated 1773 by Melchiorre Di Bella.
- Reliquaries (gilded wood), crafted by the sculptor Bartolomeo Brugnone to a design by the Ciminna-born architect Paolo Amato, 1704.
- The Immaculate Conception (polychrome wood), by Antonino Barcellona of Palermo, 1781.
