Casalvecchio Siculo
Church
Byzantine church
Casalvecchio Siculo - Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo d'Agrò
Late Byzantine church in the Sicilian hinterland
The small town of Casalvecchio Siculo is located approximately 6 kilometres west of Savoca. The village is mainly worth seeing because of one of Siciliy’s most fascinating religious buildings - the late Byzantine Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo d'Agrò (basilica of saints Peter and Paul). The church was built in 1116 by Roger II and is one of the most unusual churches in Sicily. The three-nave, castellated church belonged to a Greek Orthodox Basilian monastery, which is also reflected by the Orthodox Byzantine interior. The block-shaped exterior of black lava, red brick and golden limestone looks almost like a castle and has been put forward for the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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