Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù

The Church was built in the fifteenth century and was gradually decorated with works of art dating back to 1498: Madonna and Child byGagini; a triptych by Antonello da Saliba (1519) together with the decorations of the Paternò-Castello Chapel; in 1525, the altarpiece by Angelo de Chirico; in 1628, a wooden crucifix by Umile da Petralia. After the destruction of the 1693 earthquake, the Church was rebuilt in the early eighteenth century with the current characteristic facade, work by Fra' Girolamo Palazzotto, and decorated by stucco. The facade is austere, in Romanesque style, with typical lateral decoration alternating hewn stone of black basalt and white stone. The interior has a single nave with side chapels built by some families of Catania nobility: Paternò-Castello Chapel is accessed through a portal by Antonello Gagini; also notable is the Chapel of Tornabene family. The Church also houses works by Giuseppe Zacco.