Collegiata Church

It is one of the oldest churches in the city, in fact, the original structure was presumably built in the first centuries AD.

It is one of the oldest churches in the city, in fact, the original structure was presumably built in the first centuries AD.

Linked to the religious events of the city, in 1396 during Aragonese rule it was named ‘Regia Cappella’ (Royal Chapel), and later in 1446, a college of canons was established there at the behest of Pope Eugene VI, hence its current name ‘Collegiata’.

After the 1693 earthquake, the Collegiate Church, almost totally destroyed, was rebuilt by Antonio Amato, who moved the main entrance to the side opposite the original one, which now faces Via Etnea.

The ‘new’ 18th-century façade, in the characteristic late Baroque style of Catania, was designed by Stefano Ittar, and features characteristic concavities and convexities reminiscent of the shape of an Organ.

In the three-nave basilica-plan interior, it is possible to observe fine decorations such as sculptures and frescoes, many of which were created by the late 19th-century painter Giuseppe Sciuti from Zafferana Etna.