A small jewel of Sicilian medieval art, the church was founded in the 12th century with the name of Santa Maria di Castellammare. The building, that shows Byzantine, Romanesque, Arabian and Norman lines, was probably damaged by an earthquake that reduced its dimensions: once the façade extended for more than 39 feet to the coast. The church was renamed Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani around the 14th century and became a chapel during the Aragonese rule. In accordance with the majority of  historians, it was built upon the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Neptune and upon the ruins of an Arabian mosque. You can’t miss it! Going along the via Giuseppe Garibaldi, your eye will be caught by the building that lies ten feet under the present street level, which was the original level before the earthquake of 1908. Striking capitals and columns in Arabian-Byzantine style support round arches and the apses of the three naves. The interior is very simple and gives an immediate sense of silence.  The outside is framed by two different orders of columns decorated by elegant capitals and connected by inlaid two–colored arches.