Mazara del Vallo - San Nicolò Regale

The small Norman church of San Nicolò Regale stands on a slight elevation on the east side of the Porto di Canale in Mazara del Vallo. It is a distinctive rectangular building dating from the 11th or 12th centuries (there is some controversy concerning this), and its ground-plan, like that of Trinità dei Delia at Castelvetrano, follows the model for Byzantine churches. Its exterior walls show three false arches, in three sections, surrounding the windows.

In the chancel the three apses protrude. The upper border is formed by a ring of merlons.

The interior, which had fallen into disrepair, as a result of no longer being used for religious services, has now been restored by the architect Franco Minissi, including the dome with its four supporting columns with ancient capitals.

The convent belonging to the church was, however, torn down at the end of the 19th century, and a small square laid in its place.