DUOMO

It is one of the richest in Sicily and one of the most emblematic of medieval Sicily. Built in the early 14th century on the ruins of a^5th-century Romano-Byzantine church (itself built on the remains of a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Ceres), it was then extensively rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its structure clearly shows the different stylistic stages from the Sicilian Gothic (note the frieze above the Jubilee Gate framed with a zigzag frieze alternating with leaf motifs) to the Baroque. The whole ensemble is highly charged from floor to ceiling. At the top of the stairs, there is a superb view of the arcades and the 17th century bell tower with its impressive bell. The beautiful absidal area as well as the transept are gothic. One can also admire the 17th century black basalt columns, whose bases and capitals are finely carved. But the richness of this place also comes from all the treasures that are conserved here, such as the 16th century sculptures representing the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin of the Annunciation near the main entrance, the precious wooden ceiling of the central nave and the transept, the wooden singers' tribune from the end of the 16th century, the 15th century crucifix hanging in the middle of the church, the superb baroque cabinet in the sacristy, and the beautiful paintings by Paladini, a Tuscan mannerist painter active in Sicily during the first half of the 17th century.