The church of San Francesco di Paola is right in the old centre of Paternò and gives its name to the square and the quarter; it is a subsidiary of the church of Santa Barbara. It was built in 1695 at the expense of a local nobleman, Giuseppe Battiato, in an area known as «dello piano delle Canne seu scalonazzo», and was first dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua.
What to see
It was completed in 1779, with work on the façades and renewal of the interior stucco, and dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola, in whose honour Masses had long been said there. The façade, Baroque and neoclassical, in blocks of carved stone, is divided into three parts on two orders, with paired pilasters and a pediment in the centre: above the rectangular portal is a niche with the statue of the saint, and on the right are a smaller portal and the square bell tower, with a semicircular dome like those of Byzantine churches.
The interior has a single nave with a barrel vault, its walls decorated with stucco and painted floral motifs and two small exedrae for the minor altars; a slightly projecting cornice runs to the small curved apse, and at the entrance a wide arch on small piers supports the choir loft. The marble and stucco altar dates from 1925 and is the work of the Paternò sculptor Michele Cannavò.
Visiting
The church was restored in 1960. Opening hours should be checked with the parish of Santa Barbara.
Our editors' tip
In 1796 the congregation of Saint Francis of Paola was founded in this church, and it is still active.
