The very first Capuchin convent in Sicily was founded in 1533, right here, in the district of Saint Nicholas, a few miles from the town center.

Although the location was considered a true corner of paradise, the distance from the town and the lack of a bridge to cross the river made life difficult for the friars.

To ease their hardship, a few small rooms were made available to them at the Civic Hospital. Still, the friars expressed a strong desire to move closer to the town center. In response, and with the support of the local municipality, construction of a new convent began in 1609 and was completed in 1625.

The new convent was built next to the pre-existing Church of Our Lady of Bagnara, which at the time was a subsidiary of the Abbey of Saint Mary of the Twelve Apostles in Bagnara Calabra.

The church stood in the former Arab settlement of Rakal-Biat. According to some scholars, it was built at the end of the 12th century or in the early 13th, during Sicily’s transition to Latin rule and feudal organization.

This religious complex gave rise to notable figures such as Saint Bernard of Corleone, Friar Vitale Lino, Friar Paolo of Castronovo, and Friar Bernardino of Cammarata.

In 1868–69, following the suppression of religious orders, the convent was converted into a boarding school for young men. Today, it is managed by the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.

Visitors can still see the cells of Friar Vitale Lino and Saint Bernard of Corleone.

Inside the church, you can admire a 17th-century wooden tabernacle, a chapel with a wooden altar, also from the 1600s, which houses the statue of Our Lady of Bagnara and a statue of the Assumption of Mary from the 18th century.