Monte Casale San Basilio in Lentini
Codas2 - CC3.0
Monte San Basilio is an ancient structure from the Greek era whose name derives from the mountain where it is located, in the Lentini area.
The summit area of the mountain shows traces of an ancient settlement that dates back to the prehistoric era with evident hut holes probably attributable to the Culture of Castelluccio.
Not far away stands an imposing structure carved into the limestone rock characterized by 32 columns designed to support stone slabs. Part of the structure has collapsed but many columns are still standing.
The function of this structure is not known, it is believed that it may have been a granary or, according to what the archaeologist Paolo Orsi hypothesized, a cistern for supplying of the waters used by the soldiers present in the fortified area.
Along the mountain, the remains of fortifications from the Greek era are visible, suggesting a purely military use of the area also considering the strategic position occupied by the structure which dominates the plain of Catania and the city of Lentini.
The structure was subsequently reused by the Byzantines who converted it into a church, in fact some traces of frescoes are visible in some columns, even if they are now unreadable. Throughout the area several underground structures of unclear use and a small temple of Demeter and Kore are visible.
According to some unverified hypotheses, the site is identified with the ancient Brikinnai, city mentioned by Thucydides in The Peloponnesian War.
Currently the area is in a complete state of abandonment. Thick vegetation has grown inside the site which prevents its use and some of the beams are at risk of collapse.
