Church of San Paolino in Torregrotta

La Church of San Paolino Bishop in Torregrotta it is a mid-twentieth-century building that houses ancient and modern works, a symbol of the community's history.

The history of Torregrotta and the parish church of San Paolino Vescovo

Torregrotta is a small town in the Niceto valley in province of Messina in which, in medieval era, different dominations and cultures followed one another. Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Saracens and Normans populate the whole area of ​​Messina, but it was in 1526 that the emperor Charles V granted the populous licence, the possibility of populating and building the ancient area of ​​Casale which later became Torregrotta over the years.

The feud, with an agricultural and commercial vocation, was entrusted to Benedictine nuns and a lay attorney who promoted its development. The country therefore experienced a phase of economic expansion of which traces still remain today.

the premium churches of Torregrotta they are very simple rural constructions where the community gathers to pray and to strengthen social ties. Among these the most important is the ancient one Church of San Paolino Bishop already Church of Maria Santissima della Pietà.
However, the unsafe structure was demolished and later replaced by a new building dedicated to the Bishop of Nola. There Parish Church of San Paolino Bishop it is in fact a modern building from the mid-twentieth century which responds to the needs of the community to have a new place of prayer dedicated to patron saint of the country.

The architecture and the works kept in the Parish Church of San Paolino Vescovo in Torregrotta

The Parish Church of San Paolino Vescovo in Torregrotta, opened for worship in 1943, is a structure with essential lines.
The facade is simple and since 2010 it has been embellished with a small artistic window with the depiction of San Paolino Bishop.
Inside, the nave houses the Deposition of Christ from the Cross, a 1671 canvas commissioned by the priest Don Nicolò Bitto to adorn the main altar of the ancient church dedicated to San Paolino. The unknown author of the seventeenth-century work also represents his client in the lower right corner of the painting. Don Bitto is depicted with his gaze turned towards the faithful and therefore extraneous to the scene while the Virgin Mary, Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene are in adoration of Christ.
The tolling of the bell tower recalls the history of the countryin fact one of the bells, still functioning, was forged in 1886 and belonged to the first church of Torregrotta.
Inside, the furnishings are modern, in particular the marble bas-relief depicting the patron saint to the right of the altar, surmounted by a painting of a dove, a symbol of peace, is appreciated. Along the nave on both sides, there are niches that house statues of saints, including San Rocco to whom the community is particularly devoted.

What to do in Torregrotta and its surroundings

A few steps from the Parish Church of San Paolino there are traces of a portal consisting of a round arch surmounted by a Ghibelline crenellation which is part of a "castrum" defensive. The portal dates back to 1650, in fact this date is still clearly visible written on the stones, but the original structure of the fortification dates back to the sixteenth century.

In via Trieste it is possible to see one of the watchtowers of the "castrum", now incorporated in a building in the historic centre.

A few kilometers from the town along the coast is Milazzo with a very well-preserved ancient village and a defensive building built at the end of the 500th century and still intact.
The city is also home to the Church of San Francesco di Paola in Milazzo, a seventeenth-century building in Baroque with works expressing the Sicilian Renaissance and theantiquarium, a museum that tells the story of Milazzo from prehistory to the Byzantine era.

How to get to the Parish Church of San Paolino Vescovo in Torregrotta

The parish church of San Paolino Vescovo is located in Torregrotta in the province of Messina. By car:, from Messina take the A20 motorway from viale Boccetta and continue to the Rometta exit. Take the SS113 and proceed along Via XXI Ottobre in the direction of Via Mezzasalma in Torregrotta where the Parish is located at number 25.