The deconsecrated Chiesa della Purità is a former

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, with a large adjacent conservatory or orphanage; both structures are located on via Santa Maddalena #39 in

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 ...

, region of

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 is located on the hill of Montervergine, where via Santa Maddalena encounters via Giuseppe Auletta, a block south of the church of

Sant'Agata la Vetere Sant’Agata la Vetere is a Roman Catholic church located in the piazza of the same name (along via Santa Maddalena) in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. East of church and nearby, but facing in the other direction, are two other churches dedicated ...

. The former conservatory extends the full block west along Via Plebiscito. The former church now functions as the auditorium for the faculty of jurisprudence of the

University of Catania The University of Catania () is a university located in Catania, Sicily. Founded in 1434, it is the oldest university in Sicily, the 13th oldest in Italy, and the 29th oldest in the world. With over 38,000 enrolled students, it is the largest uni ...

. The former conservatory is encompassed by public schools: including Istituto Comprensivo.

History and description

The institution at this site was founded in 1775, by a

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 ...

prior, with support of the Senate and private donations. Referred to in some sources as a ''conservatorio'' (orphanage), in others as a ''reclusorio'' (holding facility), the aim was to house and train orphan young girls. At the age of maturity, they could choose either to join a religious order under the rules of St

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

or marry or return to the custody of some family member. In 1787, the institute was endowed by the city treasurer don Giovanni Francesco Lullo, who required the institution to allow for enrollment 12 daughters of lawyers from Catania. By 1872, the conservatory had become the ''college of female education Pius IX'' and later named after Queen Elena.Fondo Ambiente Italia
entry on complex. The church was built from 1775 to 1789 using designs from Antonino Battaglia, the son of Francesco Battaglia. The convex facade recalls the baroque churches designed by Francesco, but it maintains a more classical sobriety of

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

with corinthian pilasters, and less extraneous decoration. Above the portal is a Virgin under a clam-shell with a banner extolling ''purity''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purita Catania 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Catania