Terme della Rotonda
Complex of Roman baths of the 1st–2nd century AD in Catania, converted into a Byzantine church, with a circular domed hall and medieval frescoes.
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About the museum
The Rotonda complex comprises the remains of a bath building constructed between the 1st and 2nd century AD and enlarged in the 3rd century, of which nine rooms are known, arranged around a circular hall covered by a dome. At the end of the 6th century the baths were decommissioned, and the hall, decorated with frescoes and marble mosaic floors, was converted into a church with sacred images of the Virgin and of the bishops Nicholas and Leo Thaumaturgus. For a long time the building was believed to be a pagan Pantheon; only in the 18th century did the Prince of Biscari recognise it as a bath complex.
From the 9th century a cemetery occupied the surrounding area and remained in use until the late Renaissance. The church of Santa Maria della Rotonda, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1169, also served as a funerary chapel and later as a church of the Catanian nobility. The surrounding buildings gradually covered the baths, whose memory was lost.
Excavations and restorations in 2004–2008, financed with EU funds, returned the site to the public and brought to light the nine bath rooms, numerous burials, a 13th-century apse and frescoes hidden under monochrome plaster; research in 2015 also discovered a large castellum aquae connected to the Roman aqueduct. The site is part of the Parco archeologico e paesaggistico di Catania e della Valle dell'Aci.
Highlights
- Circular domed hall about 11 m in diameter
- Nine rooms of the Roman baths
- Medieval and baroque frescoes in the church
- Byzantine fragment of the Annunciation
- Castellum aquae linked to the Roman aqueduct
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico e paesaggistico di Catania e della Valle dell'Aci
- Visitors per year
- approx. 252 (2022)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
A route is provided for visitors with disabilities.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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