Church of San Giovanni Battista

The origins of the Church of San Giovanni Battista are uncertain. Tradition places its foundation in the 4th century, while the earliest surviving structure dates from the Middle Ages. Between 1430 and 1436 the church underwent a major reconstruction in the Chiaramonte Gothic style, during which its orientation was altered and much of the medieval fabric visible today was created. In 1631, under the patronage of Don Matteo Buonfiglio, the church was enlarged to form the spacious single nave that survives today. Work on the bell tower began in 1691 and was completed with stucco decoration in 1798.

The church's most distinctive architectural feature is its late Chiaramonte Gothic eastern portal, decorated with characteristic zigzag mouldings and approached by a monumental fan-shaped staircase. Originally the principal entrance, the portal became secondary after the 15th-century rebuilding reoriented the church. The interior preserves an important collection of Renaissance sculpture, including Saint John the Evangelist by Antonello Gagini (1531), Saint John the Baptist by Antonino Gagini (1539), and the Visitation, attributed to Gabriele di Battista and dating from around 1497.

Following structural problems, the church remained closed for much of the 20th century before undergoing restoration during the 1970s and reopening to the public in 2006. Medieval fresco fragments transferred from the nearby rock church of Santa Maria Maddalena are preserved in the apse.