Santa Caterina d'Alessandria

The Church of St Catherine of Alexandria is a Roman Catholic church which takes up the most southern part of a wide area at the foot of the historic hill of Paternò in Sicily, near the Church of St Barbara and the former convent of St Annunziata.

The church was built between 1725 and 1730 in order to replace a more ancient building, which dated back to the middle of 16th century which was damaged by the earthquake of 1693; it had been the seat of the brotherhood since its birth in 1574. The new building was realised thanks to an amount of money given away by a priest, Giacinto Giglio, governor pro tempore of the brotherhood. The new seat was consecrated on 6 October 1730. Around the middle of the eighteenth century the facade and the bell tower were built. Between 1774 and 1792 the marble altars were constructed, while the marble inlaid floor was constructed about 1803−04. The building was damaged by English air raids during the summer of 1943. Repairs were made in the years after the war. The church was damaged again by the earthquakes of 1990 and 2002. Thanks to the restoration work, funded by the Sicilian department of Civil Protection, it was reopened for worship. The church receives the adoration of Saints Alphius, Philadelphus and Cyrinus.

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