The exact date of the church’s foundation is unknown, but it is known to have existed by the 15th century. It served as the venue for the General Councils of the town. Originally dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, the church retained his name until 1602, when the Archpriest Don Giuseppe Ansaldi founded the Pious Union of the Souls in Purgatory (Unione del Miseremini), from which the church derives its present name.
The church bell was traditionally used to summon meetings of the town magistrates and citizens to deliberate on matters of public importance.
In 1771, the master stucco artist Giuseppe Guarneri, together with other craftsmen, constructed the new vaulted ceiling and completed its stucco decoration.
The church is home to several historic confraternities, including the Venerable Confraternity of the Union of the Miseremini, the Confraternity of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, the Confraternity of Saint Peter, the Confraternity of Saint Julian, and the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Inside the Church
- Polyptych (oil on six wooden panels with a gold background), attributed, for the 16th-century sections, to Riccardo Quartararo, while the predella is believed to be the work of another 15th-century artist. The monumental frame is attributed to Pernaci.
- Intercession for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (oil on canvas), by an unknown 17th-century artist.
- Saint Nicholas of Myra (oil on canvas), signed and dated 1662 by the Ciminna-born painter Don Francesco Gigante.
- The Martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian (oil on canvas), signed and dated 1663 by the Ciminna-born painter Don Francesco Gigante.
- Group of the Mysteries (papier-mâché and wood), by the Ciminna-born artist Sebastiano Cannizzaro, late 17th century.
- Saint Peter (gilded polychrome wood), by an unknown 17th-century artist.
- Our Lady of Sorrows (polychrome wood), attributed to Filippo Quattrocchi, 18th century.
