Church madness by baronedivandastad
Catania has two excellent examples of baroque churches within 50 metres of one another. Both are product of the creativity of Giovan Battista Vaccarini, the Master Architect who rebuilt this city from a heap of ruins after the 1693 earthquake and made it a pearl of late baroque style. The Duomo (Cathedral) was built in the 11th century by the Normans, but was severely damaged in the earthquake. The restoration was left to Vaccarini's genius, whose main product is the facade.
The Church of Saint Agata, the patron of the city, instead did not make it through the earthquake, and had to be rebuilt from scratch on the other side of Via Garibaldi, which was created in the replanning of the city. Perhaps even more impressive than the Duomo, it carries typically sicilian decorations such as the fruit bowls.
