Chiesa di San Giuseppe (Church of Saint Joseph), Taormina
The Church of Saint Joseph, set right next to the Clock Tower on April 9th Square, makes no effort to hide its Baroque flair. Raised between the late 1600s and early 1700s as the home of the Confraternity of Souls in Purgatory, it was Taormina鈥檚 way of showing that devotion could come with a theatrical touch. Dedicated to Saint Joseph, the patron of workers and families, it quickly became a stage for processions and celebrations that spilled into the piazza, blending religious fervor with civic pride.
Its fa莽ade is pure Sicilian Baroque flair. A sweeping double staircase leads up as if summoning visitors onto the set. Scrolls and curves abound, twin towers frame the entrance, and the central portal is decked out with carved stonework capped by a triangular pediment. Above it all, Christ the King keeps watch from a marble niche. Side doors open to the sacristy on one hand and a hall often turned into exhibition space on the other, giving the building a role that has stretched beyond the strictly liturgical. The Salesian Order took charge in 1919, adding more decoration, and after a closure in 2015 for repairs, the church was restored to its full Baroque vigor.
Inside, restraint meets richness: a single nave lined with marble altars, frescoes of prophets, and Gospel scenes. A dome supported by marble columns crowns the tabernacle, while the main altar, in colorful Taormina marble, pulls the eye forward. Alongside the Church of Saint Augustine and the Clock Tower, Saint Joseph鈥檚 church completes the square鈥檚 ensemble-a trio that makes April 9th Square one of Taormina鈥檚 most theatrical corners.
Its fa莽ade is pure Sicilian Baroque flair. A sweeping double staircase leads up as if summoning visitors onto the set. Scrolls and curves abound, twin towers frame the entrance, and the central portal is decked out with carved stonework capped by a triangular pediment. Above it all, Christ the King keeps watch from a marble niche. Side doors open to the sacristy on one hand and a hall often turned into exhibition space on the other, giving the building a role that has stretched beyond the strictly liturgical. The Salesian Order took charge in 1919, adding more decoration, and after a closure in 2015 for repairs, the church was restored to its full Baroque vigor.
Inside, restraint meets richness: a single nave lined with marble altars, frescoes of prophets, and Gospel scenes. A dome supported by marble columns crowns the tabernacle, while the main altar, in colorful Taormina marble, pulls the eye forward. Alongside the Church of Saint Augustine and the Clock Tower, Saint Joseph鈥檚 church completes the square鈥檚 ensemble-a trio that makes April 9th Square one of Taormina鈥檚 most theatrical corners.
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Chiesa di San Giuseppe (Church of Saint Joseph) on Map
Sight Name: Chiesa di San Giuseppe (Church of Saint Joseph)
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Taormina, Italy
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Taormina Introduction Walking Tour
In 396 BC, the notorious tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse instructed his commander Andromachus to establish a settlement at the foot of Mount Etna. This came after Dionysius had destroyed the ancient Greek city of Naxos, leaving its displaced inhabitants in need of a new home. The settlement's original name, Tauromenion, meaning 鈥渄welling on the Taurus,鈥� referred to the nearby mountain... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles