The complex of San Francesco alla Collina is a former Franciscan friary on the historic hill of Paternò. Its origins go back to 1086, when Great Count Roger had a church built here in honour of Saint George, probably of modest size; in 1114 Roger II made it a royal chapel, and in 1196 it was handed over to the Benedictine monks.
What to see
After the death of Frederick III of Aragon the complex remained with Queen Eleanor of Anjou, who on her death in 1343 left it to the Franciscans: having obtained permission from Pope Clement VI in 1346, the friars demolished the old houses and built the new friary. For many years the friary prospered thanks to the Moncada family, but the earthquake of 1693 badly damaged it, bringing down the east wing, and it was abandoned; the south wing kept its roof until 1915, while the church's gabled roof collapsed in 1904 as the materials decayed.
In 1906 the complex was sold to Baron Cara Zuccaro, who with grants from the heritage authority began rebuilding it to make the church a family chapel: believing it to be the palace of the Aragonese kings, he had work done that altered its original appearance. After another period of neglect, in the twenties the Ministry of Public Education took the complex under protection, and between the forties and the nineties restoration saved the church and part of the friary walls.
Visiting
The restored church is used from time to time for conferences and exhibitions, while the remains of the friary are closed to the public; in 2009 further work began on the main wing to use it for exhibitions and meetings. Openings should be checked beforehand.
Our editors' tip
Some of the books left in the abandoned friary ended up in the Giovanni Battista Nicolosi municipal library, founded in 1926 and now housed in the former monastery of the Santissima Annunziata.
