Church of San Giovanni Battista in Giarre
The Church of San Giovanni Battista in Giarre is the mother church of San Giovanni Montebello, a hamlet of Giarre.
It was built in 1725 and, over the centuries, has undergone several renovations, the most important during the 19th century when the facade was renovated.
The sacred building stands on a high lava stone staircase. This is divided into two orders of steps, numbered 24 and 6, which symbolically indicate the anniversary of Saint John the Baptist (24 June).
The convex façade, in late Baroque style, is marked by the presence of columns in Doric style, on the first order, and Ionic on the second. The main door is surmounted by a niche where the statue of Saint John the Baptist with a lamb is placed, a twentieth-century work by the prof. Mariano Vasta of Giarre. Above is the four-light bell tower.
The interior, divided into three naves, is decorated with stucco and fine marble. The vault is frescoed with representations of episodes from the life of the Baptist, the work of Tullio Allegra. The original frescoes from 1744, no longer visible today, were executed by Pietro Paolo Vasta from Aceto.
Among the works kept in the church, of particular artistic value are: an ancient organ equipped with over 2000 pipes which has the particularity of can be played simultaneously by two people, thus creating a particular acoustic effect; the canvas of the Baptism of Christ, locally called u quadruni, the work of Alessandro Vasta; valuable paintings by Alessandro Vasta and Giuseppe Zacco.
