The church in Barrafranca dedicated to Maria SS. della Stella, formerly dedicated to Sant’Alessandro, is the oldest church in the town.
The construction, which has been modified several times, predates 1598 and has a simple gable facade flanked by a sixteenth-century bell tower in an oriental style.
The building was renovated in the 20th century and its interior is decorated with neoclassical stuccoes by the Signorelli brothers. The church in Barrafranca has a single nave and contains several noteworthy paintings, including the canvas of Saint Isidore the Farmer by Pietro D’Asaro and Saint Alessandro by Francesco Vaccaro.
In the vault, enclosed within six octagons, there are frescoes depicting Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary, the Ascension, Pentecost, the Transfiguration, and the Immaculate Conception.
The painting of Maria SS. della Stella, on the other hand, was stolen in 1977 and never found again. In its place, a canvas of the same subject painted by Gaetano Vicari was placed.