Apollo’s temple

It is the oldest Doric stone temple in Sicily.
Dating back to the sixth century BC., it underwent various transformations starting from the Byzantine period. It was first turned into a Christian basilica, then into a mosque by the Arabs and again in a Christian church by the Normans.

In the sixteenth century on the ruins of the temple was built a barrack and, once the old church demolished, another one was built to the Madonna of All Graces.
The original building is very long (m. 58.10 x 24.50), surrounded by magnificent columns.
Only in the second half of the nineteenth century, and above all from the forties, the area was interested by excavations to bring to light the ruins of the temple.

Greek temples had the prospect facing the East so what instantly comes into view is the back of the building. Today there are only two columns and a few other remains to testify the monumentality.
Fragments of the beautiful clay coatings which decorated the upper part of the temple are preserved in the Regional Archaeological Museum “Paolo Orsi”.

Currently the visit of the remains of the temple is not allowed.
However, the presence of railings surrounding the ruins, allows to see them from the outside.