Casalvecchio Siculo

The original name of the village was Palachorion, which in Greek-Byzantine meant “old farmstead”, according to an Aragonese deed of 1351. A denomination that with the passing of time was translated into Latin as “Rus Vetus”, “Old Farm” and the present-day “Casalvecchio”.

From the start of the Norman age down to the eighteenth century it was under the Savoca family. It came under nearby Santa Teresa di Riva from 1928 to 1939, when it became an independent commune. Of particular architectural interest are the cathedral church, the San Teodoro church, and the SS Pietro and Paolo church from the Norman epoch.

The SS Pietro and Paolo d’Agrò abbey has for years been at the centre of an important cultural initiative: the proposal has officially been made to UNESCO to make it world heritage. The former monastery of the Basilian  riars has today been restored and made available to local people and the many tourists that every year visit the monumental Santi Pietro e Paolo d’Agrò church.

But between the 17th and 18th centuries the monastery was a true cultural centre as well as being a Christian one: for artistic, scientific and humanities studies, and for agricultural experiments. The work of these monks cam to an end in 1794, when they moved to Messina.

POINT OF INTEREST

San Teodoro church: The building has no side aisles. Unfortunately it is in a state of neglect. However, it is significant for the history of this area. In this connection, in 1661, the church was offered to the Augustinian Fathers of Messina for them to found a monastery there. In 1671 the Diffinitorio declared this convent a Priory House, choosing Damiano di SantʼAntonio as the first prior.

SS Annunziata church: In the baroque style and rich in 18th century stuccoes, the church was subservient to the Basilian monks, who set up the Annunziata Confraternity there. Inside it there is a 1760 painting of St. Anthony Abbot and a seventeenth-century painting of the Virgin Mary.

Santi Pietro e Paolo dʼAgrò abbey

Main church: Built in the seventeenth century and dedicated to SantʼOnofrio, it was rebuilt in 1935. The entry portal was part of the original church. The interior has a remarkable wooden coffered ceiling and a floor in Taormina stone. Among the numerous works of art there is a 1686 holy water stoup, a seventeenth-century octagonal font, a sixteenth-century silver statue of SantʼOnofrio, the side altars of St. Sebastian, St. Michael, the Crucifix, the Madonna del Carmine, the Holy Family and the Epiphany surmounted by a painting of the Madonna with Blessing Child done by Camarda in 1622. 

Parish museum of sacred art: It contains works of art, vestments and sacred trappings that were the heritage of the adjacent church.

San Nicolò Church: The oldest of the dependent churches in the village (liturgies were already celebrated in 1795) contains a painting of St. Nicholas by an artist of the School of Antonello, and a 16th century wooden statue of St. Anthony of Padua.

Historic fountains: Acqua Ruggia (or Reggia) is the oldest of the fountains in the village. It is called this way because it seems that here Roger II quenched his thirst.

San Pietro Fair: Every year on the last Sunday in June the old San Pietro fair is held in the Cristuri district. It is an opportunity to appreciate local traditions. 

Pizzo Vernà

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