Chiesa del Purgatorio, Ragusa

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Chiesa del Purgatorio, also called Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio, is a Roman Catholic church in Ragusa, Sicily, on Piazza della Repubblica. It is dedicated to prayers for the souls in purgatory.

The church was first consecrated in 1658 with help from the Mazza family. The 1693 Sicily earthquake left it mostly intact, and in 1694 it took over some functions from the nearby church of San Giovanni, which had moved to the Patro district. In 1729 it came under the jurisdiction of the church of San Giorgio. A bell tower was added in the early 18th century.

Because the church was too small for the district, construction began in 1740 on a new church with a central nave and two chapels, separated by columns with Corinthian capitals (1741). The three-level façade was completed in 1757, and the presbytery was finished and reconsecrated in 1787.

The church is reached by a steep staircase down to a small square, Piazza degli Archi. Inside, the chapels of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Most Holy Crucifix have altars depicting St John the Evangelist and the Addolorata. The main altarpiece, Saints and Souls in Purgatory, is by Francesco Manno. The cornice shows earthly glory interspersed with skulls as a reminder of mortality (memento mori).