CATHEDRAL
Piazza Duomo, Catania
After defeating the Berbers in Catania, Count Ruggero d’Altavilla started building the new cathedral dedicated to Saint Agatha, by reusing the lava blocks taken from the roman amphitheatre. Damaged by the 1169 and 1693 earthquakes, the cathedral was then rebuilt by Palazzotto and Vaccarini, who designed the new façade. Inside the church you can find: the funeral monument of Vincenzo Bellini; the Madonna chapel, where can be admired the sarcophagi of the Aragonese kings of Sicily; the sacristy with the well-known Platania’s fresco, describing the town during the 1669 eruption; the chapel of Saint Agatha where, inside the so-called “cammaredda”, are kept the relics of the Patron Saint.