Church of St. Benedict

The first church of San Francesco Borgia was completed around 1578, probably designed by the Jesuit architect Francesco Schena. The Val di Noto earthquake in 1693 destroyed the Jesuit complex, which was rebuilt on a project by the architect Fra' Angelo Italia on the same site between 1698 and 1736. In 1713, under the direction of the architect Stefano Masuccio, work began on the pillars of the church chapel. In the years 1726 - 1740, work was completed on the interior of the church.

The church of San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata is located on the site where the Franciscan order settled in the 13th century. In 1329 the Queen Consort of Sicily Eleanor of Anjou promoted the construction of the primitive convent and church of St. Francis of Assisi all'Immacolata. Destroyed in 1693 by the Val di Noto earthquake, the church had to be rebuilt in the 18th century.

For its dual religious and defensive function (against Saracen incursions), Catania Cathedral was called the fortress church (Ecclesia Munita). The church was dedicated to the city's patron saint, Saint Agatha, by Ansger in 1094. The 1169 earthquake destroyed the vaults and damaged the columns and its exterior walls. The reconstruction was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, which shook a large part of eastern Sicily hard.