Church of SS. Annunziata of the Catalans
LOCATION: Via Cesare Battisti (in front of Piazza Lepanto) DATING: XII SEC. DESCRIPTION: It was originally dedicated to S. Maria di Castellamare and took its current name after being given in the fifteenth century to courtiers and wealthy Catalan merchants following Pietro d'Aragona. Given the progressive lifting of the city due to earthquakes and reconstructions, the church is now more than three meters below street level. The plan of the church is a Byzantine-type basilica divided into three naves with a high dome. The exterior is framed by two rows of columns with elegant capitals and arches inlaid in two colors. On the sides of the nave two walkways lead over the transept passing through elegant mullioned windows. Inside, the Arab-Byzantine influences of the capitals and the columns embedded in the apse are visible. FUN FACT: some local historians believe that this basilica stands on the ruins of the Temple of Neptune. SOURCE: Various sources reworked by the Helios Study Center
Audio Sheet: Ignazio Caloggero, as part of the Lions District Service District 108 YB, year 2022-2023: "Sicily For the Blind, Let's Make Cultural and Environmental Heritage Enjoyable" with the text provided by the Messina Host Lions Club
