12 Churches to Explore in Sicily

The Palatine Chapel is the royal chapel of the Norman palace in Palermo, Sicily. This building is a mixture of Byzantine, Norman, and Fatimid architectural styles, showing the tricultural state of Sicily during the 12th century after Roger II's father and uncle conquered the island. Also referred to as a Palace church or Palace chapel, it was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132 to be built upon an older chapel constructed around 1080.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Sant'Agata is the main place of Catholic worship in Catania, the mother church of the homonymous metropolitan archdiocese and the seat of the parish of the same name. The cathedral is dedicated to the virgin and martyr Sant'Agata, patroness of the city of Catania, and is located in the historic center of the city in the south-east side of Piazza del Duomo, in the Duomo district of Catania or Terme Achilliane - Piano di San Filippo.

The Cathedral of San Giorgio is the mother church of the city of Modica, in the Free Municipal Consortium of Ragusa, and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is often indicated and reported as a symbolic monument of Sicilian Baroque, of which it represents the most scenic and monumental architecture. The art historian Maurizio Fagiolo dell'Arco declared that this church "should perhaps be included among the seven wonders of the Baroque world".

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands on the highest part of the ' island of Ortigia, incorporating what was the main temple sacred in style Doric of the polis of Syrakousai, dedicated to Athena and converted into a church with the advent of Christianity. Considered the most important church in the city of Syracuse, it has become part of the heritage protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

The cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova is the main place of Catholic worship in Monreale, in the metropolitan city of Palermo, the archbishopric of the archdiocese of the same name. Built starting from 1174 at the behest of William II of Altavilla, king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189, it is famous for the rich Byzantine mosaics that decorate the interior. In August 1926, Pope Pius XI elevated it to the dignity of a minor basilica.

The Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Virgin Mary of the Assumption , known simply as the Cathedral Church of Palermo , is the main place of Catholic worship in the city of Palermo and the archbishopric of the homonymous metropolitan archdiocese. A feast of geometric patterns, ziggurat crenellations, maiolica cupolas and blind arches, Palermo's cathedral has suffered aesthetically from multiple reworkings over the centuries, but remains a prime example of Sicily's unique Ara

Cefalù's cathedral is one of the jewels in Sicily's Arab-Norman crown, only equalled in magnificence by the Cattedrale di Monreale and Palermo's Cappella Palatina. Filling the central apse, a towering figure of Cristo Pantocratore (Christ All Powerful) is the focal point of the elaborate Byzantine mosaics – Sicily's oldest and best preserved, predating those of Monreale by 20 or 30 years.

The cathedral of San Cataldo is a church of Taranto, precisely the oldest cathedral in Puglia , initially dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene then to St. Cataldo bishop. The proposal to recognize in the succorpo the remains of the early Christian church dedicated to Santa Maria dates back to the Fago, whose existence in the seventh century was confirmed by a letter from Pope Gregory. It was built by the Byzantines in the second half of the 10th century, during the reconstruction of the city commiss

The Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena is an ecclesiastical complex in the historic center of Catania, located in Piazza Dante, consisting of an important Benedictine monastic building and a monumental eighteenth-century church. It was founded by monks from the monastery of the same name located near Nicolosi who in the mid-sixteenth century asked the city senate for authorization to build within the walls, as they were threatened by the eruptions of Etna and the presence of brigands.

The Cathedral of San Nicolò is the most important Catholic place of worship in the city of Noto, as well as the bishop's seat of the diocese of the same name, in Sicily. It is located on the top of a large staircase, on the north side of Piazza Municipio, and is dedicated to San Nicolò, bishop of Mira. The interior, with three naves, houses numerous works of art, some of which come from Noto Antica, including the silver urn containing the mortal remains of St. Corrado Confalonieri.

The church of San Giovanni Degli Eremiti is a national monument located in the historic center of Palermo, near the Norman Palace. The church is built according to the canons of Sicilian-Norman architecture; it is a Romanesque church and externally resembles oriental buildings. This reference to the East is even more emphasized by the bright red domes, restored in the nineteenth century by the architect Giuseppe Patricolo, according to an interpretation of the original color based on ancient tr

Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio is a sacred site in the center of Palermo. The church was commissioned in 1143 by George of Antioch, the admiral of Norman King of Sicily, Roger II. The church is characterized by the multiplicity of styles that meet, because, with the succession of centuries, it was enriched by various other tastes in art, architecture, and culture. Today, it is, in fact, as a church-historical monument, the result of multiple transformations, also subject to protection.