Catania Cathedral, Catania

Catania Cathedral, Catania

The Catania Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Catania.

The Catania Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Catania. Dedicated to Saint Agatha, it is built on the spot where the saint died in 215 AD. Originally constructed in the 11thcentury over the ruins of the ancient Roman Baths, the cathedral has been rebuilt several times. The present Norman and Baroque structure is from the reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake which devastated most of Catania. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 'Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily)' for its architecture that exemplifies the culmination of Baroque style in Europe.

The façade by Gian Battista Vaccarini has 3 tiers of Corinthian granite columns in granite, including 6 taken from the previous Norman church. The central portal in wood has 32 carved tiles illustrating the life of St Agatha, and is flanked by Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Above the door on the second level is the marble statue of Saint Agatha, Saint Euplius on the right and Saint Birillus on the left. Behind the façade are the central dome, and the bell tower which houses the third largest bell in Italy after the ones in St. Peter's Basilica and Milan Cathedral.

The interiors have the Chapel of St Agatha with the treasury of the Saint Agatha, comprising valuable liturgical works and jewels. The southern aisle to the right has the baptistery, the tomb of composer Vincenzo Bellini, and the Santa Rosalia altar. The left aisle has the altar of St. Agatha, and altar of Madonna delle Grazie. The north transept has the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix with tombs of Sicilian Aragonese royalty, while the south transept has the Chapel of the Madonna accessed through a 16thcentury marble portal by sculptor Giovan Battista Mazzola. It has several graves of Aragonese kings and 2 sarcophagi, one of Constance of Aragon, the wife of Frederick III, and another of Kings of Aragon. The sacristy has a fresco depicting the 'Eruption of Etna in 1669' by Giacinto Platania, illustrating an eyewitness' account of the disaster.

The Cathedral overlooks the Piazza del Duomo, a major square at the centre of which stands the 18thcentury Elephant fountain, inspired by Bernini's Minerva Elephant in Rome. The ancient Egyptian obelisk on top of the lava elephant is inscribed with hieroglyphics.

Next to the Cathedral is the Diocesan Museum, displaying artifacts such as gold and silver jewellery, liturgical vestments, altarpieces, reliquaries, chalices, monstrances, and religious art from the treasury of the Cathedral.