Taormina, the hillside city located on the eastern coast of Sicily, is situated near Mount Etna and is particularly known for the Ancient Theater, as well as its numerous churches. If you’re on vacation in Taormina and want to spend an afternoon visiting churches, read our article and follow this small itinerary we propose.
When you think of Taormina churches, our minds automatically go to the characteristic Cathedral, the main place of worship of medieval origin located in Piazza Duomo, along Corso Umberto and in the vicinity of Porta Catania, which is the historic center of Taormina.
The facade of this beautiful Cathedral, a symbol of the city of Taormina, is characterized by battlements while at the back, we see the bastion tower on which bells were placed in 1750. Of great and remarkable value, also, is the main portal which was restored in 1936 along with the large central rose window of extraordinary Renaissance inspiration.
Another very important church that is also among the best known and frequented in Taormina is the Church of San Giuseppe, a Catholic place of worship located just outside the Clock Tower, in Piazza IX Aprile, i.e., in the historic center of Taormina, and also one of the most celebrated Baroque churches in the whole town.
Its balcony, as well as the forecourt and the floor of the building, are raised a couple of meters above the road surface and the entire Sant’Agostino Floor, so the two levels are connected by a double flight of stairs, with development starting from the center and going outwards, delimited finally by a balustrade in Syracuse stone which was then enriched by eight vases made of stone. This church, like the previous one, belongs to the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.
What are the most beautiful churches in Taormina?
On the external wall of the landing is instead embedded the plaque bearing the following inscription “TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY TAORMINA IS CONSECRATED […] AUTHORITY AND PEOPLE AT THE CLOSING OF SACRED MISSIONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN CITY”.
Now let’s turn our attention to the Church of Santa Domenica, a church dedicated to Santa Domenica whose feast falls on July 6th. It is a church from the 1600s with a simple facade characterized by a large portal surmounted by a common window made like the portal, with cross-shaped glass, inside only a nave with a main altar made of particular red marble from Taormina.
But we can’t overlook the Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, a Catholic church adjacent to the Corvaja Palace. This belongs to the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela, the vicariate of Taormina, and remained closed for over 40 years in a precarious state, before being restored and reopened for worship on November 25th, 1977.
Lastly, we present the Church of S. Antonio Abate, which was built specifically to honor the patron saint of animals celebrated every year on January 17th by performing a blessing rite for domestic and farm animals. This little church was built in 1330 and belongs to the genre of rustic churches with a single nave that were only built on the outskirts of towns to meet the religious needs of the poorer people who were reluctant to go to the center.
