Basilicas in Italy—Eastern Sicily

I blogged about the following basilicas on November 6, 2019.

• Basilica Cathedral of St. Agatha, Catania, Catania.

Basilica of St. James the Apostle, Caltagirone, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1816.

The church was originally built following a 1090 victory of the Sicilians over the Saracens.  The church received major damage during a 1693 earthquake and by bombs in 1943 but has been restored.  The church has a major relic of St. James the Greater.

The first picture is from the Diocesan website and the second is from a local source.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Julian, Caltagirone, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

The church is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Caltagirone.  The church was completed in 1282 in a Norman style but has been damaged by earthquakes and restored at least twice since then.  So Norman and Art Nouveau influences can also be seen today.

The first picture is from a local source and the second is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Acireale, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1933.

The Basilica is located across the square from the Cathedral Basilica of the Annunciation, discussed below.  This church was built in the 17th Century.  It was heavily damaged by a 1693 earthquake and was restored in a neoclassical style.  The white Syracuse stone façade and the bell tower were built in the 1700s.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Alms, Catania, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

The church was originally a royal chapel for the Kings of Sicily.  This chapel was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and replaced by the current Baroque church in the 18th Century.

All picturew are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Annunciation, Acireale, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1948. 

The basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Acireale.  The church dates to the 16th Century but has been modified over the years especially after a 1693 earthquake.

Pictures are from Pinterest and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Bridge, Caltagirone, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1963.

From Flickr.

Basilica of St. Peter, Riposto, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1967.

The Neoclassical Basilica was built between 1808 and was largely completed by 1818.  Final construction took until 1872. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Alms, Biancavilla, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

The Baroque church dates to the late 15th Century but has been enlarged and renovated almost every century since then.  A painting of Our Lady of Alms dates to the 14th Century.  It was painted on cedar from an artist of the Greek-Albanian art tradition.  Miracles have been attributed to Our Lady’s intercession.

Pictures are from Flickr, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. James and Most Holy Mary of Catena, Castiglione di Sicilia, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985.

The church was constructed between 1655 and 1664 and contains a 16th Century marble sculpture of Our Lady of Catena.

Both pictures are from local sources.

Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Catania, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

A church has been on this site since Roman times, but the current church was built in the early 1700s to replace a building destroyed by the 1693 earthquake.  Legend has it that St. Agatha (a Catania native) was originally buried at this location.

Pictures are from Flickr, a local source, and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Sebastian, Martyr, Acireale, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1990.

The Baroque church was built between 1608 and 1658.  It was damaged by the 1693 earthquake but was but was repaired in the early 1700s.  A stone façade was added at that time.  Many of the frescoes were done by Pietro Paolo Vasta, a local 18th Century artist.

The top picture is from a local source and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Pedara, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

The Sicilian Baroque church was built between 1695 and 1705.

The first two pictures are from Flickr, the third is from a local source, and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Philip, Aci San Filippo, Catania

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

The church was built between 1720 and 1822 to replace a church destroyed by the 1693 earthquake.  Work continued on the church up to 1987 when the bronze doors were installed.

From a local source.