Description
The Archbishop's Palace (Palazzo Arcivescovile) is the seat of the Archbishop of Messina, at the corner of Via Garibaldi and Via I Settembre, about a hundred meters from the cathedral: a 1924 building on the site of the old bishop's residence, already home to the bishops in Norman times.
The current palace, with the adjoining seminary, was designed by the engineer Enrico Fleres and approved by Rome in 1915. It was opened in 1924 by Archbishop Angelo Paino, who lived there before moving to the new seminary.
Its story is one of destruction and rebirth. Destroyed by the 1783 earthquake, it was rebuilt by Francesco Saverio Basile; in 1848 it was set on fire during the revolutionary uprisings and, patched up as best they could, partly withstood the 1908 earthquake.
Its origins go back a very long way: in 1060 the Great Count Roger stayed here, and here he handed back a cross donated by three Messina noblemen, later kept in the bell tower of the Church of San Nicolò, which became part of the bishop's residence.
The current palace, with the adjoining seminary, was designed by the engineer Enrico Fleres and approved by Rome in 1915. It was opened in 1924 by Archbishop Angelo Paino, who lived there before moving to the new seminary.
Its story is one of destruction and rebirth. Destroyed by the 1783 earthquake, it was rebuilt by Francesco Saverio Basile; in 1848 it was set on fire during the revolutionary uprisings and, patched up as best they could, partly withstood the 1908 earthquake.
Its origins go back a very long way: in 1060 the Great Count Roger stayed here, and here he handed back a cross donated by three Messina noblemen, later kept in the bell tower of the Church of San Nicolò, which became part of the bishop's residence.