Church of Jesus and Mary in Acireale
The Church of Jesus and Mary in Acireale is a small building of worship that stands in the heart of the historic center of the city, along the ancient Via Dafnica.
It is known that, in this same place, a small building of worship stood connected to the presence of the Jesuit Fathers, but there is little historical information about it. The current building was built around 1640 at the behest of the Confraternity of Jesus and Mary, which was based in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Acireale. Following the earthquake of 1693, it was destroyed and rebuilt around 1710.
The church houses works of great value: the altarpiece dedicated to Jesus and Mary, the work of Giacinto Platania, a pupil of the greatest Acinese painter Pietro Paolo Vast; the paintings by Grasso Naso depicting the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the presentation of Mary in the Temple and the Finding of the Cross of Christ; a small painting and a valuable wooden statue of Sant'Espedito, minor patron saint of the city of Acireale, by Ignazio Castorina Canzirri.
