San Biagio, Neoclassical church in Piazza Stesicoro, Catania, Italy

San Biagio is a Neoclassical church at the western edge of Piazza Stesicoro in Catania. Its facade, designed by Antonino Battaglia, has paired columns supporting a triangular pediment. The interior is a single, sober nave; the right transept chapel of Sant'Agata, above a polychrome marble altar frontal, displays the remains of the furnace (carcarella) of her martyrdom in a glass case, with a 1938 fresco by Giuseppe Barone depicting the scene.

The church was created after the devastating earthquake of 1693 destroyed Catania and forced the city to rebuild from the ground up. Two separate parishes were combined to form this structure at a central location in the reorganized city.

The church's double name recalls its origin: San Biagio, but also Sant'Agata alla Fornace, because it was built where tradition places the furnace (called the carcarella) where Agatha was tortured. In the right transept, a glass case above a polychrome marble altar frontal holds the remains of that furnace, and Giuseppe Barone's 1938 fresco depicts the martyrdom.

The church sits directly on Piazza Stesicoro and is easily reached on foot from the city center. The square offers open access, and nearby attractions make it natural to combine a visit here with exploring the surrounding area.

The furnace where Saint Agatha was tortured is not lost: the relics of the fornace, called the carcarella, are kept in a glass case above the altar of the right transept chapel of Sant'Agata. Behind it hangs a 1938 fresco by Giuseppe Barone showing the martyrdom, and a plaque beneath the altar records the tradition.