Teatro Gebel Hamed
Teatro Gebel Hamed | |
 Entrance to the theatre | |
 | |
| Address | Erice, Sicily, Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°2′17.221″N 12°35′12.264″E / 38.03811694°N 12.58674000°E |
| Owner | Municipality of Erice |
| Type | Cinema and theatre |
| Opened | 16th century (as Church of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano) 1940 (adapted as theatre) |
The Teatro Gebel Hamed (English: Gebel Hamed Theatre) is a cinema and performance space in Erice, Sicily, housed in the 16th-century former Church of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano.[1] Its name recalls Erice’s medieval Arabic-era name, Gebel Hamed (from the Arabic Cebel Hamid, meaning "Mountain of Hamid"), adopted after the city was conquered in 831 by the Aghlabids.[2]
History
[edit]The Church of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano was founded in 1576 in fulfilment of a vow made by the citizens of Erice to the two saints during the plague of 1570. The church was enlarged in 1610, and again in 1625 after a further outbreak of plague. Its design featured a sober late-16th-century portal, three naves supported by four columns, and seven altars including the high altar.[1]
In 1636 Father Matteo Curatolo of the Third Order of San Francesco di Martogna established a small convent in an adjacent building. Expansion was halted in 1658 when Pope Innocent X ordered the suppression of small convents, leaving the site neglected.[1]
In 1752 Bishop Giuseppe Stella of Mazara adapted the convent premises as a conservatory for penitent women; the church and the new conservatory were joined internally by a covered passage.[1] The conservatory was dissolved in 1915, and its property was transferred to the municipality of Erice by the Congregation of Charity; the adjacent former convent (later conservatory) subsequently housed the offices of the Pretura and conciliation court until 1965.[1] Since 2015, following works carried out between 2011 and 2015, the former convent has housed the Cordici Museum (Museo civico “Antonio Cordici”).[3][4]
The church itself, closed to worship for many years, was converted into a cinema in 1940 to house the municipal theatre, which until then had been located in the Palazzo dei Marchesi Pilati, part of the Palazzo Municipale complex on Piazza della Loggia.[1]
Renovation
[edit]In 2019, the Regional Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity provided €226,000 in funding for the refurbishment of the Teatro Gebel Hamed, following a regional council resolution dated 12 December 2018.[5] The project included modernising facilities (dressing rooms and restrooms), refurbishing the foyer and refreshment bar, upgrading the stage lighting area, replacing the heating and cooling system, and updating the suspended ceiling.[6]
Programming
[edit]The Teatro Gebel Hamed hosts a variety of cultural events, including theatre, concerts, and film screenings. In 2024, the theatre was a venue for the Erice Estate festival, with events such as Borsellino is back, a film and dance performance, and concerts in the Festival Internazionale di Musica Antica. It also featured in the children’s cinema series Agosto al Cinema.[7] In early 2025, the theatre hosted a residency by the Movin’Op opera company, culminating in a performance of Winterreise – Viaggio d’Inverno on 6 January.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Tusa, Matteo (2017). Erice: Planning for Life. Erice: Self-published. ISBN 9788892667327.
- ^ "History of Erice". INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Polo Museale "A. Cordici"". Fondazione Erice Arte. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Museo Cordici". Comune di Erice. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Torrente, Mario (23 November 2019). "Erice, il teatro Gebel Hamed si rinnova". Giornale di Sicilia - Trapani. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Teatro "Gebel Hamed", arrivato il decreto del finanziamento regionale di € 226 551,61". Città di Erice. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Erice Estate 2024". Comune di Erice. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Al Teatro Gebel Hamed di Erice la Residenza d'Artista "Winterreise"". TP24. 28 December 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2025.