Acireale Cathedral
The Cathedral of Acireale is dedicated to Maria Santissima Annunziata, but commonly linked to the cult of Santa Venera, protector of the city, whose relics are kept inside.
The original layout of the church dates back to the 15th century and has undergone numerous alterations over the years until 1872, the year in which it was awarded the title of Cathedral. In the 15th century the Cathedral was made up of a single chapel, but later, thanks to the rich donations of the guilds and noble families residing in the city, the Cathedral was enlarged. The result of this process is an architectural system with multiple styles: the marble portal dates back to 1668; the bell tower to the south, in Gothic style, dates back to 1544, the second, although it maintains the same building style, is from the end of the nineteenth century.
The internal structure, in the shape of a Latin cross, is in Baroque style and was built in the period from the end of the seventeenth century to the first half of the eighteenth century. Many are the works kept inside such as the Chapel of Santa Venera, which houses the relics of the Saint, the statue that depicts her sculpted by Mario D'Angelo in 1651 and the silver fercolo dating back to 1658-1670. The frescoes in the chapel were painted by Antonio Filocamo, while the others in the transept and dome are the work of Pietro Paolo Vasta, between 1738-1739. The vault, on the other hand, was frescoed by Giuseppe Sciuti at the end of the 19th century. Of particular importance is the sundial decorated with the signs of the zodiac kept in the transept and made by C.F. Peters in 1844 and decorated by G. F. Boccaccini shortly after.
