Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani

Messina, Italy

The Church of the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani is an example of Norman architecture on Sicily. It dates from the 12th century, when Sicily was under Norman rule. Built on top of the ruins of an older temple dedicated to Neptune, the church is an example of Sicilian Norman architecture with its mix of different cultural elements.

The church displays influences from Arab and Byzantine architecture and also contains Roman elements. Particularly the apse is unusually well-preserved. The name of the church derives from merchants from Catalonia who established a presence in Messina in the 16th century.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Italy

Address

Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 111, Messina, Italy

See all sites in Messina

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Messina Cathedral (0,1 km)
Sacrario di Cristo Re (0,7 km)
Palazzo del Monte di Pietà (0,5 km)
Santa Maria Alemanna Church (0,3 km)
Forte del Santissimo Salvatore (1 km)
Forte Gonzaga (1,4 km)
Santa Maria della Valle Church (4,4 km)

Greek Theatre of Taormina (44,2 km)
Palazzo Corvaja (44,2 km)
Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano (44,8 km)
Castelmola (44,3 km)
Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola (61,9 km)
Ruffo di Scilla Castle (15,6 km)
Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (11,9 km)
Tropea Cathedral (61,8 km)
Monte Tauro Castle (44,3 km)

User Reviews

Homa (3 years ago)
It can’t believable but it’s a Church. The look is very different because it has a Norman_Arab style. They adopted this style from Islamic time.

Lucian Popescu (3 years ago)
Overlooked norman era church mixing romanesque and moorish styles. Interior seemed not open for visitors

mustafa cutlerywala (5 years ago)
Great place with lovely architecture

Sumit Roy (6 years ago)
Nice architecture

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.