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Syracuse and Surrounding

Residenza Alfeo

Syracuse and Surrounding

Antico Hotel Roma 1880

Syracuse and Surrounding

Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel

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  • Art and History in Syracuse
    • - Arabic Syracuse

    The Island of Ortigia
    • - The Fonte Aretusa of Syracuse
    • - Judaica. Exploring Jewish Syracuse
      • - Mikva (Ritual Jewish Bath)
    • - The Seaside of Ortigia, in Syracuse
      • - Papyrus Museum of Syracuse
      • - The Maniace Castle
    • - Piazza Archimede (Archimede Square)
      • - The Fountain of Diana
      • - Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto
    • - The Piazza Duomo in Syracuse
      • - Palazzo Senatorio (1633), City Hall
      • - The Artemision of Syracuse
      • - The Duomo (Cathedral of Syracuse / Greek Temple of Athena)
      • - The Archbishop’s Palace
      • - The Hypogeum of Piazza del Duomo in Syracuse
      • - Santa Lucia alla Badia a Siracusa
      • - Palazzo Beneventano dal Bosco
    • - The Galleria Regionale of the Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse
      • - Church of San Martino
    • - Piazza del Precursore in Syracuse
      • - Casa di Mario Minniti
    • - Santa Maria della Concezione in Syracuse
    • - The Temple of Apollo in Syracuse
    • - Maritime Museum
    • - Shopping in Syracuse
      • - The Ortigia Market

    THE MAINLAND
    • - Euryalus Castle in Syracuse.
    • - The Complex of Saint Lucia.
      • - The Church of Saint Lucia.
      • - Caravaggio, Burial of Saint Lucia.
      • - Catacombs of Saint Lucia in Syracuse.
      • - Chapel of the Tomb of Saint Lucia.
      • - The Tomb of Saint Lucia
    • - "Latomìe": the Ancient Greek Quarries of Syracuse.
      • - L’Orecchio di Dionisio (“The Ear of Dionysius”) in Syracuse.
      • - The Quarries of the Capuchins (Latomie dei Cappuccini) in Syracuse.
    • - The Archaeological Park of Syracuse.
      • - The Roman Amphitheater in Syracuse.
      • - The altar of Hiero II
      • - San Nicolò dei Cordari.
      • - The Greek theatre.
    • - The Archaeological Museum “Paolo Orsi” in Syracuse.
    • - Shrine of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of Tears) in Syracuse.
    • - The complex of San Giovanni Evangelista
      • - The Ruins of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista.
      • - Crypt of San Marziano.
      • - Catacombs of San Giovanni in Syracuse.

    WHAT TO EAT IN SYRACUSE

    With Children in Syracuse
    • - Marine Aquarium
    • - Papyrus Museum in Syracuse
    • - Puppet Lab and Theater in Syracuse
    • - Boat Outing in the Port
    • - Ciane / Anapo Rivers
    • - The Nature Reserve of Vendicari

    Nature and the Sea in Syracuse
    • - Getting around by bike
    • - Fontane Bianche (White Fountains beach)
    • - Ciane / Anapo Rivers
    • - The Nature Reserve of Vendicari
    • - Spiaggia di Calamosche (Calamosche Beach)

    SEASON OF THE GREEK THEATRE IN SYRACUSE

    Surroundings of Syracuse
    • - A Trip to Noto – Sicily's Capital of the Baroque
    • - The Roman Villa of Tellaro (Noto) and its Mosaics

    Tourist Offers
    • - St. Ambrogio and Immacolata Offer
    • - Visit Eastern Sicily Offer
    • - "Visit Syracuse and its Surroundings" Offer
    • - Syracuse and Cinema - "The Sicily of Montalbano and of The Leopard" Offer
    • - Romantic Getaway Offer
    • - "Winter in Sicily is Warm" Offer

    Sports and Recreation in Syracuse
    • - Enjoy yourself and play sports in Syracuse
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The complex of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist) in Syracuse: (Catacombs, Crypt, Church)

The Complex of San Giovanni Evangelista, or Saint John the Evangelist, merged in an area that had been Roman catacombs, and in which, according to tradition, the first bishop of Syracuse, the holy martyr Marziano (or Marciano, 3rd century A.D.) was buried. This place of Christian worship arose in late antiquity, traces of which remain in an ancient crypt that still exists.

Abandoned during the Arab occupation of Sicily and rebuilt in the Norman period around 1092, the building finally collapsed during the earthquake of 1693.
Fragments of the remains were then recovered to partially rebuild the church, on a smaller area and rotated in orientation (that is to say, what today looks like the front was the right side of the original church). The beautiful portico in front of the façade, dating to the 14th century, was built using recovered material.

The façade of San Giovanni Evangelista in Syracuse, built in the 18th century with spoliated materials form the 14th century.

The Ruins of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista.

The area containing these buildings is now one museum complex, which one can visit by guided tour (reservations can be made in advance). The first area into which one enters contains the ruins of the church, where the ceiling is completely missing and which is now occupied in part by a lush garden.

The remains of the building’s Norman columns reveal that it made use of models of the Greek Doric columns visible in the Duomo, but it is even possible that some parts of them are actually authentic Greek columns, stripped from a former temple to Demeter and Kore.

The remnants of the Norman church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Syracuse.

Crypt of San Marziano.

A steep staircase, on the right side of the church’s ruins, provides the descent to the ancient crypt of San Marziano, or Saint Marcian, which remarkably survived through centuries and earthquakes.

This space, originally a hypogeum, was transformed into a church around the 6th century, when the remains of San Marziano were brought there. After the period of Arab rule in Sicily, it was rebuilt in Norman times (the very beautiful capitals of the four pillars that support it date from this era).  

The crypt contains numerous frescoes, unfortunately mostly in precarious states of conservation, which date from the 5th century to the 17th century.

St. Paul, in one of his Epistles, mentions landing in Syracuse, as was normal at the time for people traveling to Italy from the East. His voyage would take him by sea from Palestine to Rome to make a plea before the Emperor for his trial.  St. Paul stopped in Syracuse for three days, and legend has it that on this occasion the Holy Apostle joined the local community and celebrated Mass on an altar similar to the one present in this crypt.  Although this story lacks any historical grounding, the fact remains that this altar was a place of veneration of the memory of the Apostle Paul since early Christianity, as evidenced by the decoration and inscriptions.

The Crypt of San Marziano below the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Syracuse.

How to Reach the complex of San Giovanni Evangelista from the Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel.

The Catacombs of San Giovanni and the ruins of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista above are located a few steps from the Museo Archeologico Regionale “Paolo Orsi” and a short distance from the Archaeological Park of Syracuse off the island of Ortigia. A route by foot is possible, but it will exceed one kilometer / 0.62 miles in distance. Those who do not have their own transportation can call a taxi from the reception desk at a special rate or use the bicycles that the Hotel Algilà offers to its guests for free. Alternately, one can take the (free) shuttle bus #20 from the nearby Piazza Archimede up to the bus station (near the train station) and then take either one of the following bus lines:  6, 8, 11, 12 or 13.  From Riva Nazario Sauro (behind the nearby Piazza delle Poste) one can choose from the following bus lines 1, 2, 3, 4 or 12.

Visitor Information.  
The opening and tours of the catacombs and ruins of the church are entrusted to the cooperative Kairòs (for information: phone (++39) 0931 64694, fax (++39) 0931 66751, email info@kairos-web.com).  

Visits take place in the form of guided tours every 15 to 30 minutes, from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:3-4:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in the summer). Closed on Monday. The ticket costs € 8 (€ 5 reduced) including the cost for the guide. The guide, who is kind, provides an explanation of the history and significance of the site although sometimes he speaks in a rather Italianate kind of English)

Groups led by a cleric can also book the celebration of a Mass in the crypt of San Marziano. The visit requires, calculating a possible wait for the group’s departure, no more than 30 minutes.

The catacombs, which are all on one level with a bare floor, are easy to navigate, but the entrance itself is Via a steep staircase, which does not allow access to people with difficulty walking without proper assistance. The visit is also not recommended for people who suffer from claustrophobia, owing to the absence of an external opening.







 
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Algilà Ortigia Charme Hotel ****S

Via Vittorio Veneto, 93
I-96100 Siracusa, Italy
Phone +39 0931 465186
E-mail algila@algila.it

4 STAR HOTELS SICILY