San Salvatore Gate in Sciacca
The Porta di San Salvatore in Sciacca , which leads directly to the historic center, takes its name from the nearby church of the Savior, of which today only a few elements remain incorporated in the church of the Carmine. a remake of 1581 as can be read on the mask carved on the left side of the fornix and has features typically referable to the Renaissance period. The door has two columns and an arch supported by two large column-bearing elephants. The external facade is elegantly decorated with Spanish-Moorish taste with arabesques in the shape of scrolls and elegantly modeled bas-reliefs, representing rampant lions. On the top of the door there are three coats of arms that adorn the balcony, the latter being supported by four sturdy shelves. The three coats of arms are: the ancient city coat of arms with depicted Mary Magdalene between two rampant lions; the coat of arms of the House of Austria, reigning at that time; the coat of arms of the Sotomajor family, to commemorate the then captain of the city Rotorico Osvaldo Sotomajor, who was responsible for the construction of this gate.
A few tens of meters still present today is an imposing bastion, an integral part of the past of the walls that protected the city from invasions.
