Currently, the church, nestled among adjacent buildings, features a sober main facade, reconstructed in 1968, with a single order framed by two full-height pilasters topped with capitals. Horizontal linear segments, breaking into cornices along the entire front, support the crowning cornice, at the center of which rests a cross. The brickwork, entirely clad in horizontally laid terracotta bricks, is interrupted by a simple entrance portal, framed by a smooth white stone cornice, with its upper inner corners adorned by two decorative scrolls, and a grand bronze door from 1975, the work of Ernesto Lamagna. The lower part of the facade is clad in a low white stone base, housing two niches on either side of the portal, containing a bronze crucifix and a bronze sculpture of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, respectively. Above, a polylobed window opening is cut into the central part of the facade, with a flat, white stone frame echoing the window’s shape.
The left side is the least visible, almost entirely hidden by neighboring structures, as is the rear facade, while the remaining right side facing the inner courtyard, partially free only at the top, lacks any notable architectural elements beyond functional openings for lighting the nave. The interior, accessed through a richly carved wooden entrance drum topped by a harmonious antique organ with four ranks of pipes, reveals a layout simulating a Latin cross, with a striking sequence of spaces decorated with stucco. Eight symmetrically recessed niches line the church walls, adorned with full-centered arched frames, two of which are set above polychrome marble altars, while a third, housing a carved effigy of the Sorrowful Madonna, is placed above a wooden statue of the Sacred Body of the Dead Jesus, also encased in a wall niche.
Flanking the presbytery are the transept arms: the left features a striking space divided into bays with cross-vaulted ceilings, while the right consists of a large area with plastered vaults and beams, topped by a carved wooden balustrade overlooking the high altar. At the far end, the elevated presbytery culminates visually with the high altar, also in polychrome marble, where the miraculous statue of the patroness, the Madonna della Libera by Giuseppe d’Onofrio of Casalnuovo (1716), stands in a niche. Positioned high and in a perceptually privileged perspective, it represents the most architecturally significant element of the ornate 18th-century narrative of the entire structure, particularly the final bay.
Currently, the church presents an oblong nave with rounded corners, punctuated by three short chapels on each side, leading to a domed space reinforced by lateral arches. From here, one accesses the rectangular presbytery, enclosed by a marble balustrade.
In the second half of the 18th century, the nave was raised, and the facade was remodeled. In the early 20th century, the presbytery was expanded.
**Description:** The statue depicts the Madonna enthroned with the Child in a rigidly frontal pose. Multiple restorations: the Virgin’s mantle and eyes, the Child’s statuette (1830). It appears linked to Messinese sculptural production of the late 16th century. In use since: 1564. **Image:** Statue
**Current conservation:** Ex-votos are stored in the sacristy, currently inaccessible.
**14th century (construction of the entire structure)**
The church was built in the 14th century and dedicated to Maria Santissima della Libera and San Sebastiano.
No notable events to report.
**Bull of August 7, 1858:** Grant of plenary indulgence to visitors of the church from June 15 to July 15 each year.
The Confraternity of Santa Maria del Soccorso has gathered the most illustrious members of San Severo’s nobility since the 17th century.
**Address:** Via Soccorso, 74, 71016 San Severo FG, Italy
