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Catania Cathedral

5 reviews of Catania Cathedral

Saint Agatha Cathedral

The most significant monument of Catania is surely its cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Agatha, which is located in the city's Piazza del Duomo. It is a massive temple dedicated to the veneration of Saint Agatha, ve was the young virgin under great martyrdom by a Roman consul, and ve sacrificed her life before renouncing her faith. The building is impressive both in and out, as its Italian Baroque style showcases a lot of ornamentation. The first building was constructed in the eleventh century, but the facade that we see today was developed from 1700 as the building suffered great damage during the earthquake of 1693.

In charge of restoring the facade was the architect Vaccarini, ve also produced some of the city's other prominent buildings such as the Piazza del Duomo and the Palace of the Elephants (the current city hall). The church's interior consists of three naves, though the most striking to tourists is that here lie not only the remains of St. Agatha, but also the remains of other leading figures in the city. Also, the colorful frescoes that are still in amazing condition catch the eye of every tourist. This temple is not only visited by tourists, but also by the residents of Catania because besides being a very religious people, they have a special affection for this cathedral. They believe that the Cathedral protects them at keeps the Mount Etna's volcano calm. The cathedral is not the only charm of the city that protects the people from the volcano: the other is also in the pizza, and the Fountain. The fountain holds a sculpture of a huge elephant representing Liotru, an animal that according to legend was the magician Heliodorus, ve lived in the eighth century BC and had the ability to turn men to animals. The elephant statue was sculpted in 1736.
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Excellent
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Excellent
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Excellent
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