Description of the attraction
The Church of San Biagio, also known as Santa Agata alla Fornache, is located at the western end of Piazza Stesicoro in Catania. The church was built in the 18th century after the devastating earthquake of 1693. It stands in the very place where, according to legend, the oven was located, in which Saint Agatha, the patroness of the city, was martyred for her faith. The girl was first imprisoned for a long time for refusing to betray her faith in Christ, then she was brutally tortured with fire and, finally, her chest was cut off.
The façade of the Church of San Biagio is the creation of the architect Antonio Battaglia, who also designed many other catanias in Catania after a natural disaster at the end of the 17th century. It is made in neoclassical style with paired columns supporting a triangular tympanum. Inside, the church consists of a single nave with clear and strict lines. Above the main altar is an 18th century canvas depicting Our Lady of Sorrows, which is sometimes replaced by a statue of the Madonna. The altar itself is skillfully decorated with curls, columns and statues of Saints John the Theologian and Mary Magdalene.
The chapel to the right of the transept is dedicated to Saint Agatha. Under the altar, in a small case, are kept the remains of the very oven in which the saint was martyred. In 1938, this episode from Agatha's life was depicted in a fresco by Giuseppe Barone.
The chapel to the left of the transept is dedicated to the Crucifixion. One of the side altars is consecrated in honor of St. Blasius of Sebastia, whose name the church bears (San Biagio in Italian). His image can be seen in a painting by a local artist. Other altars are decorated with contemporary works by Sicilian artists depicting the Holy Family, Andrew the First-Called and the Martyr Saint John of Nepomuk.
