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Siracusa Cathedral is the oldest Christian building in the West. It rises on the elevated part of the island of Ortigia, on the ancient foundations of a temple in Doric style, dedicated to the goddess Athena by the Sicilian Greeks, in the V century BC. Symbol of the city, the religious building became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2005. In addition to the foundations of Greek origin, it is worth mentioning the façade, a typical example of baroque and rococo, as well as the medieval interiors of Byzantine origin. The building is also important for its religious value: indeed it preserves several relics, statues and remains of Saints

The current building stands on an area which has been considered “sacred” for over 2800 years, because before the Doric temple currently evident in the structure of the building, dating back to the fifth century BC, a ionic temple stood on the area, and probably the area was considered sacred already in the period of the Sicilian domination.

The church maintains the fundamental structure of the pagan temple dedicated to Athena, but during the Arab domination, at the end of the ninth century, it was transformed into a mosque for almost two centuries, and reconsecrated as a Catholic church only at the end of the eleventh century, after the Norman reconquest.

As a church of the first Christian community in Europe, the site has had a decisive influence on Western religious history. On the territory there are still many testimonies of the apostolic age (first century AD), but the cathedral is the most important place of irradiation of Christianity in Sicily

- Organize a direct visit to the site, UNESCO heritage since 2005.
- Conduct a research activity, in the classroom or at home, on pagan cult sites transformed into Christian buildings.
- Deepen the study of primitive Christianity