The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Agatha (), usually known as the Catania Cathedral (), is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
in
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
,
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
,
southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, and since then has been the seat of the
Archbishops of Catania.
History
The cathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt several times because of earthquakes and eruptions of the nearby
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...
. It was originally constructed in 1078–1093, on the ruins of the ancient Roman Achillean Baths, by order of
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I (; ; ; Norse: ''Rogeirr''; 1031 – 22 June 1101), nicknamed "Roger Bosso" and "Grand Count Roger", was a Norman nobleman who became the first Grand Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101.
As a member of the House of Hauteville, he parti ...
, who had conquered the city from the Islamic
emirate of Sicily
The island of SicilyIn Arabic, the island was known as (). was under Islam, Islamic rule from the late ninth to the late eleventh centuries. It became a prosperous and influential commercial power in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, with ...
. At the time it had the appearance of a fortified church (''ecclesia munita'').
In 1169 it was almost entirely destroyed by
an earthquake, leaving only the apse area intact. Further damage was caused by a fire in 1169, but the most catastrophic event was the
1693 earthquake, which again left it mostly in ruins. It was subsequently rebuilt in
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style.
Today, traces of the original Norman edifice include part of the transept, the two towers and the three semicircular apses, composed of large lava stones, most of them recovered from imperial Roman buildings.
Exterior
The current appearance of the cathedral dates from the work in 1711 of
Gian Battista Vaccarini, who designed a new
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
façade after the 1693 earthquake. It has three levels with
Corinthian columns in granite, perhaps taken from the
Roman Theatre of the city. All the orders are decorated with marble statues of Saint Agatha over the gate,
Saint Euplius on the right and
Saint Birillus on the left. The main door, in wood, has 32 sculpted plaques with episodes of the life and martyrdom of Saint Agatha, papal coats of arms and symbols of Christianity.
The dome dates from 1802. The bell tower was originally erected in 1387, with a height of some 70 meters. In 1662 a clock was added, the structure reaching 90 meters. After the destruction of 1693 it was rebuilt, with the addition of a 7.5 t bell, the third largest in Italy after those in
St. Peter's Basilica and in
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...
.
The
parvise is accessed through a marble façade culminating in a
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...
.... decorated with 10 bronze statues of saints. The parvise is separated from the cathedral square by a balustrade in white stone, featuring five large statues of saints in
Carrara marble.
Interior
The cathedral has a
Latin cross groundplan, with a nave and two aisles. In the southern aisle are the baptistery and, at the first altar, a canvas of Saint
Febronia of Nisibis by
Borremans facing, on a pilaster, the tomb of the composer
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer famed for his long, graceful melodies and evocative musical settings. A central figure of the era, he was admired not only ...
. Also on a pilaster between this aisle and the nave is the Baroque monument of Bishop Pietro Galletti. Also notable is the Chapel of St. Agatha.
The apse dates back to the original 12th-century construction: it features a medieval mullioned window and a late-16th-century choir by the
Neapolitan artist Scipione di Guido. At the end of the north transept is the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix, by Domenico Mazzola (1577). It houses the tombs of members of the Aragonese branch of Sicily, including Kings
Frederick III and
Louis
Louis may refer to:
People
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
Other uses
* Louis (coin), a French coin
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
...
,
John of Randazzo, and
Constance.
The northern aisle has several 17th-century paintings of saints, including one by
Guglielmo Borremans.
Gallery
File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 12-26-52.JPG, The whole frontage
File:DuomoCT.JPG, The frontage and Saint Agatha's niche
File:3273 - Catania - Cattedrale - Antonino Battaglia, Cupola - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 4-July 2008.jpg, The cupola
File:CeilingofChapelofStAgatha.jpg, Detail from the ceiling of the Chapel of St. Agatha
File:3420 - Catania - Absidi del duomo (1094) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 5-July-2008.jpg, The Norman apses (1094)
File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-55-16.jpg, Inside – Vincenzo Bellini's grave
File:Catania - Finestra barocca - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, gennaio 2006.jpg, The northern Baroque window with the Latin acronym NOPAQVIE ('' Noli offendere Patriam Agathae quia ultrix injuriarum est''), translated as "Offend not the country of Agatha, for she is the avenger of any injustice"
File:Statue San Giacomo Confessore near Duomo Catania. Italy.jpg, Statue San Giacomo Confessore, near Duomo
File:CappellaSAgataCT.JPG, Chapel of St. Agatha
File:Transetto normanno del duomo di Catania.jpg, Detail of the 11th-century Norman transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
File:Campanile del duomo di Catania (1868).JPG, The bell tower, designed by Carmelo Sciuto Patti
Sources
*
{{Authority control
Burial sites of the House of Barcelona
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1711
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
1711 establishments in Italy
Cathedrals in Sicily
Minor basilicas in Sicily
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Mount Etna