In 1725, as Nicolò Pilo (the brother of the marquis of Marineo) wanted, a nunnery was founded for Capuchin nuns, and it incorporated the ancient Holy Souls’ church. Then, thanks to Father Giuseppe Pilo (another one of the Marquis’s brothers), St. Mary’s convent was founded even in Marineo.
On November 1, 1731 the nuns moved to the new monastery, where they followed Bishop Corradini’s ideas, in their activities. During XVIII century, the church and the convent were enlarged and enriched by new gifts.
The convent risked to be closed after 1866, when the new-born Italian government abolished religious orders. But in 1898, it was recognised and kept open. Many material goods, once owned by the convent, were nevertheless sold afterward, even because of the Marquis’s heirs decay. The convent is built on the offshoots of the “great rock”. The façade overlooks “Corso dei Mille”. The convent had at its base an arcade with pointed arches, now incorporated inside the walls. On the bare façade, there are little windows protected by claustral grills. The building has a plant, which follows the form of an “L”, surrounding the little garden in the square in front of the Cathedral, “St. Sigolène Square”.
The church is built between the two buildings of the Convent. Inside, there are some paintings, the best of which was painted by Filippo Randazzo, in 1736, and then given to the church by the Marquis Pilo. It represents the Grieved Virgin. The church is in fact the seat of the Grieved Virgin Congregation, founded in 1730. The plant is formed by a hall and four lateral chapels, two for each side, articulating the longitudinal plant. Near the presbytery, there are two little balconies, with baroque iron bars dating back to the last period of XVII century. The ceiling is decorated by an airy barrel vault, which stands out a big neo-classical cornice, above which there are some square windows. The vaults and the walls are decorated by flowers and stuccoes.