• About

    The Church of San Antonio Abate is a small church in Taormina, located on the southern edge of the historical center of the town, near Porta Catania.

     

    SHORT HISTORY

    The Church of San Antonio Abate was built around the year 1330.

    After the bombing of 1943, during the Second World War, the church was almost completely destroyed, but it was immediately rebuilt with the stones recovered from the rubble.

     

    ART AND ARCHITECTURE

    The architectural style of the church can be defined as eclectic. On the facade, we can find Byzantine elements, Gothic influences are present in the construction of the portal – clearly visible in the pointed arch above the architrave, and also Baroque elements appear in the small bell-gable placed on top of the left corner of the facade.

    The portal, built in white limestone, is surmounted by a pointed arch, with a tympanum decorated with small arches. The facade also features two small windows placed on the sides of the portal, and a small stone cross at the top.

    The church has a single nave, with an arched niche on the left wall decorated with gray Taormina marble, while in the upper part it imitates a canopy surmounted by a marble cross. In this niche, there is a small wooden statue of Saint Anthony the Abbot.

    TIP: Since 1953, the church houses a permanent miniature nativity scene, created by Dionisio Cacopardo. Here, there are reproduced to scale many monuments of Taormina, which together with the landscape setting bring to life the beautiful event of Christmas.

    HOW TO GET THERE

    The Church of San Antonio Abate is located a few meters away from Porta Catania, and about 850 meters away from Porta Messina, the main entrance to the historical center of the town. To find the church on foot, use the map below.

  • Find a place to stay
  • Photos
  • Map

    No Records Found

    Sorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again.

    Google Map Not Loaded

    Sorry, unable to load Google Maps API.

  • Reviews

    Leave a Review

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this Place (overall):
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
    • rating icon
     

    Drop files to upload


    Please drag & drop the images to rearrange the order

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.