The province of Catania
Sant'Agata Li Battiati |
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Sant'Agata Li Battiati (Zip Code 95030) is 195 Km. distant from Agrigento, 129 Km. from Caltanissetta, 3 Km. from Catania, which is the province it belongs to, 100 Km. from Enna, 99 Km. from Messina, 252 Km. from Palermo, 107 Km. from Ragusa, 61 Km. from Siracusa, 351 Km. from Trapani. Photo © Zimbone Antonio
The municipality counts 10.737 inhabitants, its surface measures 313 hectares, and its population density counts 3430 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises over a plain area, 320 meters above the sea-level. The Town Hall is located in via Bellini, tel. ++39 095-211336/7501111 fax. ++39 095-211793, toll free number 800234365 (only for italian residence). A charming agricultural town, Sant'Agata Li Battiati boasts a conspicuous production of olives, grapes, vegetables (mainly early potatoes), and excellent citrus fruits. There are numerous factories throughout the territory for the processing of the agricultural products, that are the town's main source of income. Originally, the town's name was simply Li Battiati(from battesimo - baptism), because it was the only place were it was possible to administer the baptism sacrament. Photo © A.p.t. Catania
In 1444, a violent lava eruption was stopped by the miraculous Veil of Sant'Agata, carried during a procession by the Dominician priest Pietro Geremia. This event lead the town's citizens to honor the Saint, giving the town her name, thus becoming Sant'Agata Li Battiati. Throughout the years, it was a possession of two noble families, Massa and Principi from Castelforte. Subsequently, it became autonomous. The most interesting monuments from an architectural perspective are the Chiesa Madre dedicated to San Lorenzo, the Chiesa di Sant'Agata, also called "Church of the Veil", erected in the XV° century, and the Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo, enriched by incredible frescoes of the seventeenth century. |
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