San Giuliano is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church and attached convent located on Via Crocifero #36 of

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It stands across from the Collegio dei Gesuiti (Jesuit college), whose church of San Francesco Borgia also faces Crociferi. Two blocks north on Crociferi is the baroque church of San Camillo de Lellis.

History and description

The church was erected at the site of a prior church that had been razed by the 1693 earthquake. It is dedicated the St

Julian the Hospitaller Saint Julian the Hospitaller is a saint venerated in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. He is the patron saint of the cities of Ghent, Belgium; Saint Julian's, Malta; and Macerata, Italy. History and patronage The earliest known ...

. The present late-

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church was built between 1739 and 1751 using designs by

Giuseppe Palazzotto Giuseppe Palazzotto (1702 – 1764) was an Italian architect, active in Catania, Sicily. He used a Baroque style, and was employed extensively during the flurry of reconstruction, after the 1693 Sicily earthquake which nearly flattened his native c ...

and Vincenzo Caffarelli. The church has an elaborate convex facade. The upper story has windows shielded by a dense iron grate, these windows were used by the cloistered

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

nuns of the attached monastery to watch the splendid procession of the day of Sant'Agata as it passed by. The portal has an added shield of a tall metal fence. The facade pediment is broken and each pediment holds a reclining maiden, sculpted by

Gaspare Ciriaci Gaspare (also ''Gaspero'', ''Gasperino'' and ''Gasparro'') is an Italian male given name, the literal translation of the English name Casper and Jasper (French Gaspard, Scandinavian Kasper and Jesper). The name is rare in contemporary times, bu ...

. The entrance door have a cross of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre may refer to: * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), chivalric order belonging to the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church) * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Orthodox), chivalric ...

, who restored the church after 1939. The interior nave is an elongated asymmetric octagon with a main altar and four shallow circumferential minor altars, designed by Antonino Battaglia, the son of

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

. The main altar in polychrome was designed by

Giovanni Battista Vaccarini Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (3 February 1702 – 11 March 1768) was a Sicilian architect, notable for his work in the Sicilian Baroque style in his homeland during the period of massive rebuilding following the earthquake of 1693. Many of his p ...

, and sculpted by Giovanni Battista Marino. the statuettes flanking the throne and painted cross, depict allegories of Faith and Charity. The minor altarpieces depict: *''The Madonna of the Graces with St Joseph and St Benedict'' by

Olivio Sozzi Olivio may refer to: * Olivio (restaurant), Dutch Michelin starred restaurant People * Olívio Dutra Olívio de Oliveira Dutra (; born 10 June 1941 in Bossoroca, Rio Grande do Sul) is a Brazilian politician. He is a founding member of the W ...

. *''St Anthony Abbot in Ecstasy'' by Pietro Abbadessa. *''Scenes of the Life of St Julian and his Martyrdom'' *''Crucifixion scene with Mary of the Sorrows, Mary Magdalen, and St John the Evangelist'' The cupola was frescoed by Giuseppe Rapisardi in 1842, depicting ''God the Father and St Peter consign the Gospels to St Berillo''.Berillo of Catania was the first century archbishop of Catania.

References

*Derived from Italian Wikipedia entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Giuliano 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Catania