Basilica and catacombs of San Giovanni
Church
The remains of the basilica
Basilica e Catacombe di San Giovanni
Basilica and catacombs of San Giovanni
About 100 metres behind the Archaeological Museum is the Basilica of San Giovanni. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and only ruins remain. Among the ruins of the church is the crypt of San Marziano. It is named after the student of the Apostle Peter, Marcian, who founded the first Christian community in Syracuse in A.D. 44. The holy Martianus was tortured to death by the Romans at the site of today's crypt with its Ionic columns. His grave is still in the eastern part of the crypt, along with the altar, where the Apostle Paul is said to have preached in Syracuse in A.D. 61.
Connected to the crypt there are the catacombs of San Giovanni - a vast underground necropolis with numerous chapels, tombs and murals. The sarcophagus of Adelphiasar was discovered here, which is exhibited in the Archaeological Museum.
Entrance
€ 6,- (incl. guided tour)
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