Church of San Nicola di Bari in Trecastagni
The Church of San Nicola di Bari in Trecastagni is the Mother Church of the village. It stands on a hill from which you can enjoy a splendid panorama that ranges from Etna to Taormina, Calabria and Augusta.
It was built in 1400 on a previous structure dedicated to Santa Maria della Misericordia, and is one of the oldest churches in the Bosco di Aci. It was seriously affected by the earthquake of 1693: the structure underwent profound changes, in particular the bell tower was entirely rebuilt, which is noted not to be in style with the rest of the structure.
The church is accessed via a steep and monumental stone staircase characterized by a hemicycle eccentric to the axis of the church.
The façade marks the subdivision of the internal spaces through lava stone pillars surmounted by an architrave on which the sandstone bell tower stands. The monumental main door, in Baroque style, has two bases that support pairs of columns with Corinthian capitals. The door is surmounted by a window decorated with female figures, angel heads and masks.
The interior is divided into three naves separated by Romanesque arches supported by lava stone pillars. Of particular value are the altars with marble inlays and the chapels of the Sacrament and the Crucifix with valuable stuccoes from the Serpotta school.
Among the works kept inside the church, of particular artistic and historical value are: a monumental organ work by the Acese Giuseppe Patanè from 1824; the eighteenth-century wooden statues of San Giuseppe; the baptismal font in red marble from Taormina; the remains of the fresco Christ in Gethsemane attributed to Paolo Vasta.
