Mother Church of Grammichele

La Mother Church of Grammichele, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, is the most important sacred building in the country. Dedicated to Patron Saints Michael and Catherine, the Mother Church of Grammichele is located on the main square of the town, famous for its hexagonal shape.

In 1724 the construction of this splendid building was started, designed by the Sicilian architect Andrea Amato. The works lasted for almost a century, in fact the Church was completed only in 1798, even if in 1757 (as stated on the plaque of a lateral portal of the Church) the building was inaugurated and opened to the faithful.

In 1990 the building was severely damaged by the earthquake and remained closed for several years, reopening definitively only in 2011.

Some of the splendid works that were in the old Mother Church destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 are kept in the Church.

The architecture of the Mother Church of Grammichele and the works it houses

The Mother Church of Grammichele overlooks Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa and is a building of Baroque style.

The church has a Latin cross plan and the main façade is divided into three orders.

The first order, which is accessed by a staircase that leads from the square to the church, houses three wooden doors, while in the upper order you can see a single central window. The last order that dominates the whole structure is the one in which there is the tripartite belfry in three single lancet windows, from which the bells can be seen. Also beautiful from the outside is the dome of the Church, which rises to a height of 39 meters.

Entering the building, one enters an environment divided into three naves by columns with Corinthian capitals, where the colors of white and gold dominate. In the Church you can admire the six-pipe organ and various sacred paintings, including the San Nicola di Bari and the Son Made Prisoner, the Archangel San Michele and the Dispute of Santa Caterina with the Philosophers, the latter painting coming from the old Mother Church destroyed by the earthquake of 1693.

What to do at the Mother Church of Grammichele and in the surrounding area

In the Church in Grammichele you can follow Mass and pray with the local faithful, and then linger to admire all the beauties of the building and the works it houses, in addition to the sacred furnishings.

On the beautiful Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa, dedicated to the founding prince of the country, also overlooks the Town Hall, a truly interesting building, for its history and for its beauty: to ensure that it did not succumb to the violence of earthquakes, the building was built with the utmost care, in collaboration with the Royal Higher Technical Institute of Milan (the Polytechnic), succeeding in constructing a safe building. The statue that you can admire in the hexagonal square is that of Prince Carafa, who had the whole town built from scratch to give a house back to the victims of the earthquake.

On the square you will also find bars and clubs to enjoy breakfast or an aperitif, before continuing your tour through the hexagonal town. In fact, Grammichele is famous precisely for its plant! In the village you will find several churches, but also a spa center to relax and engaging activities, to learn about the traditions of the place, such as cooking classes. We advise you to take an evening stroll through the centre, to admire the beauty of the illuminated town.

Also exploring the surroundings of Grammichele, without going too far from the town you will find the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano, Cimitero Monumentale and the stables/Equites Maenarum park, for fans of medieval re-enactments.

For those who want to learn more about the history of the place, the advice is to visit the Occhiolà Archaeological Park, with the ruins of the seventeenth century.

How to get to the Mother Church of Grammichele

The Mother Church of Grammichele is located right in the center of the village. Grammichele, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, can be easily reached by car or train.

If you travel on the train, get off at the Ragusa railway station, about 33 km from the centre, well connected by bus and shuttle to the town. If you travel by car, from Catania take the SS 417 and the SS 385, while from Palermo you will arrive via the A19 and the E932.

© Image by Ben21, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons