The church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria occupies the southern end of a large block at the foot of the historic hill of Paternò, near the church of Santa Barbara and the former monastery of the Santissima Annunziata. It was built between 1725 and 1730 to replace a mid-sixteenth-century building, damaged by the earthquake of 1693, which had been the seat of the confraternity of the same name since its founding in 1574. The work was paid for by the priest Giacinto Giglio, then governor of the confraternity, and the church was consecrated on 6 October 1730.
What to see
Around the middle of the eighteenth century the façade and bell tower were built; the marble altars date from 1774-1792 and the inlaid marble floor from 1803-1804. The façade stands on a high base of squared basalt blocks and is divided into three bands by four Tuscan pilasters: in the centre the portal, topped by a window with a triangular pediment, on the left the belfry, opened by four single-light windows and capped by a small octagonal dome with a sinuous profile. A flight of steps of varying shapes links the church to the street.
The hall is octagonal, but with a marked longitudinal direction, and is covered by a cloister vault divided into eight sections, with a central medallion showing the Agnus Dei. Four sides of the octagon hold altars, and the high altar, larger and in fine stone, stands on a raised platform. In the middle of the vestibule a double slab closes the entrance to the crypt, where members of the confraternity were once buried.
Visiting
Damaged by bombing in the summer of 1943 and again by the earthquakes of 2002, the church was restored and reopened for worship on 10 May 2011. Opening hours should be checked on site.
Our editors' tip
The church is also home to the cult of Saints Alphius, Philadelphus and Cyrinus, recorded here since 1632.
