Cent. 19th

In the past, in this place known as “Il Lago” (the lake) by the inhabitants of Palo, rain water from the hills flowed here and stagnated. With the residues of the surrounding soaperies, it had become an unhealthy place, especially in the summer, a serious health risk for the town. The Congregation of St. Joseph, active in the town since 1789, decided to build a new church in 1836. The mayor, Michele Maiorana donated the land to the confraternity on the agreement that they would drain the rainwater at their own expense. On 25^th July 1837, under the supervision of don Domenico Andriola, the first stone was laid. The architect Domenico Fallacara and his son Vincenzo led the work, which encountered many difficulties. The donations were generous but insufficient, but Giuseppe Frasca Santeramo, member of an illustrious family of Palo intervened and when he died, his wife Domenica Valentini continued his donations. On the right hand side of the transept is a plaque commemorating the benefactress and on the entablature of the church’s façade is a Latin inscription of eternal gratitude. In 1841, the neoclassical style church was consecrated.