News & Events
11-02-2010 / 12-02-2013
Historical and cultural itinirary
When visiting the city you must not miss one of the most important tourist itineraries.
THE CATHEDRAL
The fortress cathedral, as the Cathedral of Taurina is called, was built around 1400 on the ruins of a small medieval period chapel. The church has the shape of a Latin cross with three naves; the six smaller altars are situated in the two lateral naves. Six columns, three each side, of monolithic origin in pink Taormina marble and surmounted by capitals decorated leaves and fish scales, support the central nave, which opens out under a wood-beamed ceiling with carved shelves featuring Arab figures in Gothic style. Worth noting is the main doorway, renovated in 1636, with its large renaissance-inspired sculpted rose-window.
ST. PANCRAZIO CHURCH
The church of St. Pancrazio Bishop and martyr, patron saint of Taormina, is situated on the ruins of the Greek temple of Giove Serapide. Sections of the wall of the temple cell are still visible today in the southern wall of the church. The architecture is Baroque style and dates back to the second half of the 16th century. Of notable interest is the main door with Taormina stone door posts and lintels and decorated with two Ionian-style columns each side. Upon entering, the garret with organ can be seen above the doorway. On the right, the two minor altars are surmounted by two interesting oil paintings on canvas representing the martyrdom of St. Nicone, the first, and the consecration of St. Massimo, the successor to St. Pancrazio the second. Two minor altars are also situated in the wall on the left, separated by a fresco representing Teofano Cerameo, last bishop of Taormina in the 11th century. Low wrought-iron railings join the main altar, in rich multi-coloured marble, with two columns on the sides in Ionian style as are those outside the main doorway. At the top of the altar there are eight angels, four each side, with a bust in the centre of God blessing. On the right there is a fresco representing the martyrdom of St. Pancrazio.
SAINT CATERINA
Named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Egypt, and situated right in the town centre, opposite Palazzo Corvaja, the Church has no exact date of construction. It is thought that it can be dated to around 1663 as noted on the vault (charnel house) stone found inside and today set in the wall next to the crypt access steps. To the left of the door is the sacristy door that should date earlier than the Church - more precisely, to the 16th century. The façade of the sacristy has two small windows decorated with marine shells, as on the door lintels. Built on the ruins of the Odeon, whose remains can still be seen today behind the Church, which has destroyed part of the ‘orchestra’ (the ancient word for the front of the stage where the chorus was) and the stage, which is thought to have perhaps been built from a series of columns from an earlier Greek temple dedicated to Aphrodite.
CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE
Built in the early Twenties on the iniziative of a small community of English people who spent most of the year in Taormina, the Anglican church of St. George was planned by the English architect Sir Harry Triggs, son-in-law of Sir Edward Hill who was the owner of the land and was a real enthusiast of the beauty of Taormina. There are two naves inside the church and it is divided by three equilateral Gothic arches in Syracuse stone supported by two central pillars. The beauty of the church is, above all, in the great stained glass window behind the main altar which depicts Jesus on the cross with St. Catherine on the left and St. George in his medieval armour on the right.
CHURCH OF ST. AGOSTINO
The public library today, the church of St. Agostino was built at the end of the 15th century by the people of Taormina in devotion, it is said, to St. Sebastiano who miraculously kept the plague away from the town. With the arrival of the Agostinian monks in Taormina, who took over, enlarged and turned it into a monastery, the little church lost its ancient title of St. Sebastiano and became St. Agostino. The church, with wooden trusses or rafters in the ceiling, has four recesses on each side, decorated with imitation arches and imitation columns in Corinthian style. Oiginally in late Sicilian gothic style, the church underwent radical transformation around 1700 when the great equilateral arch of the main entrance was substituted by an architrave in Taormina stone. Of the ancient façade, there remains the small rose-window and the upper extremity of the old equilateral-arch doorway.
MADONNA DELLA ROCCA SANCTUARY
Situated on the summit of Monte Tauro, the Madonna della Rocca Sanctuary perhaps has one of the most beautiful and evocative panoramas in Taormina. Built in 1640, exploiting the shape of the rock that forms a grotto at that point, the Sanctuary continues to be one of the favourite destinations of all tourists.
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