Cathedral of Saint Agatha: the Baroque symbol of Catania

The Cathedral of Saint Agatha, also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Saint Agatha, is the main religious reference point and intercultural center of Catania, the mother church of the homonymous metropolitan archdiocese and seat of the parish of the same name.

The cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin and Martyr Saint Agatha, patron saint of the city of Catania, and is located in the historic center of the city, on the south-east side of Piazza del Duomo. The cathedral preserves different styles: from Norman to Baroque up to Neoclassical. In its original layout, it represented an example of “ecclesia munita,” meaning “fortified church.”

Founded in the 11th century, it has been the subject of several reconstructions, especially after the earthquake of 1693, which destroyed most of the city. Rebuilt by Girolamo Palazzotto and Giovanni Battista Vaccarini between 1730 and 1761, while in July 1926 it was elevated to the dignity of minor basilica by Pope Pius XI. The cathedral has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, mainly thanks to the unique combination of styles that represents it.

Cathedral of Saint Agatha: art and popular devotion

The cathedral presents itself with a façade in Carrara marble and lava stone from Mount Etna, and with a façade divided into three orders in Corinthian style decorated with six granite columns of ancient workmanship, perhaps coming from the Roman Theatre, surmounted by the coat of arms of the noble Galletti family to which Bishop Pietro Galletti belonged. There are also imposing sculptural works depicting Saints, almost protecting the entrance formed by the central portal, in bronze-wood, which recounts episodes from the life and martyrdom of Saint Agatha. To the left of the façade rises the bell tower, originally from 1387, which houses the third largest bell in Italy, decorated and topped by a dome with columns and decorated windows that illuminate the interior.
 

The interior, with a Latin cross plan with three naves, strikes for the solemnity of the spaces and the richness of the decorations. The naves, separated by pillars in polychrome marble, lead to the presbytery where the main altar stands, surmounted by a ciborium supported by four twisted columns. In the chapel to the right of the transept is the shrine of Saint Agatha, which preserves the relics of the saint in a 14th-century silver ark and the reliquary bust of 1376.The Chapel of the Madonna, in the left nave, preserves a Byzantine painting of the Virgin and Child, particularly venerated by the people of Catania. Along the right nave are the tombs of the Aragonese royals, including that of Frederick III of Sicily, and the funerary monument of the Catanese musician Vincenzo Bellini.

The apse, illuminated by large windows, houses the 18th-century wooden choir inlaid with scenes from the life of Saint Agatha. The crypt, accessible from the transept, preserves remains of Roman baths and early Christian sarcophagi.Visiting the sacred cathedral of Catania is an experience of solemnity and discovery, with artistic secrets and spaces to explore, remaining the highest architectural representation of the city.