Basilica di San Sebastiano

The Basilica of San Sebastiano is one of Acireale's defining Baroque monuments. Its sculpted three-order façade and interior frescoes by Pietro Paolo Vasta reflect the church's long history of devotion to the city's co-patron saint.

Why it matters

San Sebastiano became one of Acireale's patron protectors, and the basilica remains central to the city's religious life. The church is a declared national monument and was elevated to a minor basilica in 1990. Its architecture and decoration preserve a major chapter of eighteenth-century Sicilian Baroque.

What to notice

The façade rises in three orders between rusticated corner pillars. Its decoration includes a portal framed by scrolls and figures, niches with John the Baptist and Christopher, and a frieze of fourteen putti bearing garlands. Bronze doors added in 1893 carry reliefs based on designs by Gustave Doré. Inside, the Latin-cross plan and three aisles are richly painted. Vasta's fresco cycle in the choir and presbytery began in 1732 after he won a public competition; other works include paintings by Alessandro D'Anna, Vito d'Anna and Antonino Bonaccorsi.

Context and history

A confraternity maintained an oratory dedicated to Sebastian in the fifteenth century. In 1571, the bishop of Catania granted the privilege of carrying the saint's statue in procession. Construction of the present church began in 1609 and was completed in 1644. The 1693 earthquake damaged the choir, sacristy and oratory; rebuilding between 1695 and 1705 gave the church much of its present form. The façade was designed by Angelo Bellofiore, with inlays by Diego and Giovanni Flavetta, and Pietro Paolo Vasta's frescoes followed from 1732. The church was made a collegiate basilica in 1924.