Basilica of San Leone in Assoro

On the territory of Assoro in the province of Enna there is an architectural complex of great value such as the Basilica of San Leone.

The history of the Basilica of San Leone in Assoro

La Basilica of San Leone in Assoro it is the highest example of medieval religious architecture that has come down to our times.

It is obviously a church dedicated to the cult of the Catholic religion of the Roman rite whose construction was started in the Byzantine era, in particular in the year 1186. The architectural style was influenced by other dominations that affected all of Sicily, in particular it features Norman style elements with Renaissance and Baroque style finishes.

As mentioned, the church tells of the various historical periods that have affected the whole Trinacria starting from the Byzantine era because already in that precise place where the basilica stands today, there was actually another delicate structure in San Pietro probably built around the fifth century . During the Norman and Swabian periods, the foundations and some structural features of the temple were maintained while the construction was commissioned by Costanza d'Altavilla, the last queen of the house of Altavilla and sovereign of Sicily who at the time married the German Emperor Henry Sextus of Swabia, son of Frederick Barbarossa. During this phase the construction had a purely Sicilian Gothic style but subsequently with the Aragonese era there were restructuring and revisiting interventions with changes in Renaissance and Catalan style.

Architecture and works of art inside the Basilica of San Leone

Confirming the importance of the magnificence of the Basilica of San Leone Assoro, in 1933 it was declared a national monument.

Its structure today is a Latin cross with the classic three naves divided by twisted columns while inside there is a raised transept and a small wooden one with trusses. Also in the internal area there are elements that refer to the Arab-Gothic style, but also Catalan and Baroque.

It has a gallery in which some artists have created drawings and ornaments that refer to the three realms of the underworld. In particular, the work has been recognized to the artist Antonello Gagini who created it in the year 1515. There are many other decorative elements created during this period and which have come down to the present day. Among the works there is the crucifix in mixture by Antonello Gagini or the stoup with its baptismal font from the XNUMXth century and the silver corrosion created by Vincenzo Archifel. Finally, one can appreciate an old Gallican missal probably from the XNUMXth century and used before the Council of Trent.

What to see in Assoro

In the community of Assoro located about 35 km from the center of Enna in the north-eastern part of the Erei mountains there are many other beauties not to be missed such as the castle of which today we can only appreciate the remains. In fact it is an ancient Byzantine fortification which was razed to the ground after being conquered in the year 939 by Arab armies. Then there is the beautiful to see church of Santa Maria degli Angeli erected in the year 1622 or the church of Santa Maria del Carmine initially dedicated to Santa Petronilla with a fourteenth-century structure. Another perfectly preserved timeless beauty is the palace of the princes of Valguarnera whose original form was dating back to the fifteenth century.

How to get to Assoro

By car:, to reach Assoro from the city of Syracuse you have to travel a total of 129 km in one hour and 30 minutes through a route that first includes the E45 and then merges into the A19 and E932.
From Catania the road is much shorter because it takes 78 km for an hour's journey via the A19 motorway alone.
From the provincial capital Enna the distance is about 35 from the city center crossing the SS121 for a journey of 48 minutes.

© Image by
Ephems, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons