The construction of the Church in Pietraperzia dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore was initiated in the 16th century by the will of Marquess Matteo Barresi.
It stands on the remains of a Norman church from the 12th century, of which some traces remain in the sacristy.
The construction was never completed; the church has a Latin cross plan with a barrel vault enriched with stucco coffers and side chapels.
Inside, it houses a precious Greek-style pure gold crucifix and the sarcophagi of Dorotea Barresi, Pietro Barresi, and his wife Laura. On the main altar, among columns and stuccos, there is a painting by Filippo Paladini from 1604. Beneath the building, the crypt of the old church, dating back to the Byzantine period, is preserved, where a golden crucifix is venerated.