Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Acireale
The Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Acireale is considered the oldest religious building in the city.
It was built after the terrible plague epidemic that struck the city in 1466, when Acireale was still called Aquilia Nuova, and was dedicated in San Sebastiano. In fact, it is known that in this same place, before the construction of the ancient church, an oratory arose to administer the cult of San Sebastiano, protector against the plague. According to tradition, a subsequent plague epidemic that occurred in the sixteenth century spared the city of Acireale, the people of Acireale attributed the miracle to San Sebastiano and the devotion for the Saint grew to the point that the church became too small to accommodate the crowd of faithful and it was decided to build a larger temple, the current Basilica of San Sebastiano. In 1652 the church was dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. The earthquake of 1693 almost entirely destroyed the ancient building which was subsequently rebuilt.
The gabled façade is characterized by a mix of styles: the valuable rounded portal made of white Syracuse stone in late Gothic style embellished with typical Catalan stylistic features belonging to the ancient building; a late Gothic architectural machine links the pedimented portal with the window and a large spired tympanum onto which the rose window opens; the baroque style bell tower, with decorations in white stone from Syracuse and basalt from Etna, refined by a walled balustrade and faces of cherubs decorating the archivolts of the bell tower.
The interior, with a simple plan and a single nave, houses the last frescoes created by the painter Pietro Paolo Vasta. In 1755 the painter, while painting the vault, was struck by apoplexy and fell from the scaffolding, ending up paraplegic. The work was continued by his son Alessandro.
