Chiesa Madre di s. Nicola

This fifteenth-century building stands majestically on a hill from which you can admire a panorama that goes from Etna to Taormina, Calabria and Augusta. Access is via a monumental staircase, with a semicircle slightly offset from the central axis of the church. The facade of the temple shows the division of the interior spaces with lava stone pillars, surmounted by a beam decorated with masks and a triangular tympanum. Above this stands a slender sandstone bell tower, rebuilt in the 19th century. The large entrance portal is emphasized by Ionic columns supported by bases, completed by a decorative entablature and a window adorned with semi-caryatids, angels and masks. The interior, with Renaissance influences and post-earthquake modifications from 1693, features three naves divided by Romanesque arches, supported by lava stone pillars, culminating in majestic arches separating the central nave from the apse. Worthy of note are the stained glass windows with the apostles, the marble altars, the ornate chapels, the 1824 organ, wooden works, a depiction of the “Deposition”, and a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas. There is also a fragment of a fresco that may be by Paolo Vasta, depicting Christ in Gethsemane. The church received the title of Archpriesthood in 1667, being the only one in that area to have this honor at the time. In the late twentieth century, it underwent important restorations.