San Giovanni Battista Church

Interesting building of worship built in the lower part of the country in a context of majestic beauty.

A Basilica that fully reflects the style of the territory. Interior to visit absolutely. The exterior is majestic and charming. Its position in the lower part of the city of Vizzini offers a beautiful landscape. One of the many Italian places to preserve and preserve with care.

The church, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, was originally a church outside the city, also called "delle vigne" due to its location. It is one of the largest churches in the Diocese of Caltagirone. The dean Santoro speaks of it as follows: “… of the Church of San Giovanni Battista the first memory is that it was a church outside the city since the origins of the first Christians. Which Church was enlarged in the year 1528 with the competition of the University of Vizini which spent 40 ounces there. The second memory is that of the beautiful statue of the famous sculptor D. Vincenzo Architolafes, or Archilafes, from Catania and his disciple Francesco Milana, o Filona, ​​as stated in the deeds of the Notaro Omodio, o Omodeo ”. The church had several construction phases: in 1528, as already stated in the Santoro book, the Municipality of Vizzini enlarged it; in 1721 it was rebuilt by Antonio Bonaiuto of Syracuse and became the largest in the city; in 1860 Giuseppe Failla, local master builder, completed the second superelevation. The church we see today is the one designed by G.B. Giarrusso di Vizzini after the earthquake of 1693. The Basilica presents itself, internally with a Latin cross with three naves of the late Renaissance type, at the center of the cross stands a very high dome; its elevation and the carved stone bell tower are in Baroque style. The Basilica houses a precious baroque-rococo organ and appreciated paintings depicting the deposition of the Cross, the Madonna with S. Giuseppe, S. Filippo, and an ancient Via Crucis on oil canvas. On the sides of the main altar are the statues of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus, of the Virgin of Sorrows holding the Body of Jesus with St. John the Evangelist on the side The basilica of S. Giovanni Battista was erected autonomous parish in 1931 by Msgr. Giovanni Barbiggia.

The Basilica of San Giovanni Battista is the largest church in the diocese of Caltagirone

A majestic pity it was damaged by the earthquake and still has scaffolding inside It is the largest and most impressive church in Vizzini