ACIREALE, Diocese of. - City located in eastern Sicily, 16 km. from Catania. In its present location it dates back to the early 14th century, and was originally called Aci; it acquired considerable importance in the course of the 16th century and in the year 1642 received from Philip IV the name of A. Among the sacred monuments of the city, the following are chiefly to be remembered: the characteristic church of St. Sebastian, with a rich Baroque facade (1705), preceded by a balustrade with 10 statues by G. B. Marino; in the interior, notable are the frescoes and a painting of the Pietà by P. P. Vasta, the best painter of the Sicilian 18th century, and the Cathedral with the modern facade by G. B. Basile and with the portal by P. Blandamonte (1667); in the interior, frescoes by Vasta in the transept, by G. Sciutti in the central vault and by A. Filocamo (1711) in the Baroque chapel of St. Venera. Other valuable works by Vasta are found in the churches of the Maddalena, of St. Anthony, of the Crocefisso, of the Suffragio. In the municipal palace (17th century) is housed the Accademia degli Zelanti, endowed with a rich library (100,000 volumes), a picture gallery and an archaeological museum. Today A. is also the seat of numerous educational institutions entrusted to religious, among which notable is the Pennisi college with a meteorological observatory directed by the Jesuits.
The diocese is of recent institution, having been created by Gregory XVI in June 1844. Its first bishop in 1872 was Msgr. Gerlando Genuardi, who governed the diocese until 1907. The jurisdiction of the bishop of A. extends over 14 communes of the province of Catania, with 91 parishes, 235 diocesan priests and 98 regulars. The population is 167,000 inhabitants, for the most part Catholics.
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Mario Scaduto