Sant'Elia, Baroque church in Messina, Italy

Sant'Elia is a single-nave baroque church on Via Sant'Elia in Messina, rebuilt in 1694 after the 1693 Val di Noto earthquake. Its facade has two corner pilasters, a portal with a broken-arch pediment, and a triangular pediment with a small arched opening; a rough stone pilaster rises at the corner. Inside, stucco arches frame two altars per side, and frescoes by Antonio Filocamo (1706) and Giacomo Grasso fill the nave.

A notarial deed of 5 July 1462, drawn up by Antonello da Messina for a banner of the Confraternity of Sant'Elia dei Disciplinanti, documents the church's existence in the 14th–15th centuries. Damaged by the 1693 Val di Noto earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1694. After the 1908 earthquake, which brought down the ceiling near the facade, the church was restored and reopened on 14 September 1911 by Archbishop Letterio D'Arrigo Ramondini.

The interior displays religious artworks and ornaments that reflect the baroque style typical of Messina's churches. The spaces are filled with sculptures and paintings that still shape its appearance today.

The church stands on Via Sant'Elia, beside Santa Caterina di Valverde, in the centre of Messina. Since 1926 it has served as a store for the Varette carried in the city's Good Friday procession, so it is not always open for visits. Check with the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela before going.

The 1706 frescoes by Antonio Filocamo on the nave vault show Elijah on a fiery chariot held back by Elisha. Damaged in the 1783 earthquake, they were restored by Giacomo Grasso after 1848. Shrapnel in World War II badly damaged the fresco of Moses striking the rock.