The origin of the city, which lies on a terrace of Mount Tauro, dates to 358 BC Andromaco it was the founder. In III Sec. BC experienced great prosperity during the reign of Syracuse Gerone II, even if the city experienced a peak during the Roman domination. Taormina in this period he received preferential treatment getting special exemptions contributory. Most economic resources resulting from agriculture in the fields nearby could be reused for development. In 36 BC, Octavian made Taormina a Roman colony, attributing a high ranking for only a few centres of the island. The Roman times, and then gave in Taormina considerable wealth, witnessed by the presence of several buildings, as theatre, gymnasium, naumachie, temples and tombs. During the Middle Ages began a period of decline. In X Sec. Arabs destroyed twice. In 1078 it was conquered by the Normans. Only 700 takes great change, when Taormina becomes goal of European travellers attracted by its antiquity and the beauty of landscapes.

The Church of San Pancrazio bishop and martyr, the patron of Taormina, which stands on the ruins of the temple of Jupiter greek Serapis. Tracs cell wall of the temple are still visible in the south wall of the church.
Dating back to the second half of 1600, the architecture is baroque.
Of great interest the main portal from doorposts and lintels stone of Taormina and decorated with two columns style jonico for each side. Entering, above the portal, you can see the gallery with the organ.
On the right the two smaller altars topped by two interesting oil on canvas depicting the martyrdom of St. Nicone, the first, and the consecration of San Massimo successor of San Pancrazio the second.
Two altars are minors placement in the wall left interspersed with a fresco depicting Theophanes Cerameo last bishop of Taormina in the XI century.
A low wrought iron railing enters the high altar rich polychrome marbles with the sides two columns style jonico richiamanti those posed on the portal outside.
 

At the top are placed at the altar eight angels, four on each side, with at its heart the bust of God blessing and within the statue of San Pancrazio, the first bishop of Sicily, decorated with gold zecchino.
On the right opens a fresco representing the martyrdom of San Pancrazio.
In 40, in time when it was emperor Caligula, Pancrazio from Antioch was sent by Peter Sicily part magna Greece as the then Bishop of Taormina. In this city he managed to convert many pagans, including the same prefect.
The tradition says, after landing on the beach of Naxos, San Pancrazio, brought to the temple of the god Falcone, where stood a statue of pagan deities to whom the temple was dedicated. Invocated the power of God, not just erected the banner of the Holy Cross, collapsed from the temple foundations raised to the god Falcone and immediately fell into the sea together with the statue, the statue remained silent speaker of Lissone and superstition of Scamander, origin of each idolatry, ruined before the Truth Gospel. Built, and then, new temples and consecrated to the supreme God and gave totally to recall that population from idolatrous and superstition to convert to the splendour of faith.
On, therefore, by apostolic zeal, he began to preach the law of the Lord with such supernatural power and language so ardent love of God which impassioned intimately souls to the point that many people were baptized and joined the Christian faith. Even Bonifacio, prefect of the city, converted to faith what spurred by Evagrius, a disciple of Pancrazio. Thus the Christian religion spread wonderfully throughout the town and its surroundings. The Apostle Peter, going from Antioch to Rome to relocate its Head, having stopped in Taormina at the St. Bishop, consoled greatly to see as so many people, having abandoned the cult of the gods, had already surrendered to the sweet yoke of Christ. The one and the other gave thanks to God and is easy to imagine how much new strength and constancy has occurred in San Pancrazio for the meeting with St. Peter. But, as the man of God not desisted scourged by the bad habits of several target and idolatry, while Bonifacio was absent for wage war, San Pancrazio also suffered persecution and as Jesus Christ was killed. Some assassins under the command of cruel Artogato, coming down from the mountains, driven by the desire to discard the St. Bishop, the assaulted while praying and between derisions insults and struck him with rods, swords unsheathe then the transpierced with repeated blows and the slayed. In him detached so much eminent the task's, the gift of prophecy, the talent of Doctor, the virtue of healing, the gift of tongues, the power of miracles. His corpse was then concealed in a deep well, but then discovered by his disciples, received dignified burial. His body was found by a sign of divine light by his disciples, who buried him with supreme pain. As at San Pancrazio, arrived late into old age and came at the beginning of the reign of Trajan. Since these rose to the throne of Rome in 98 AD, the age of San Pancrazio at the time of martyrdom was to swing around ninety.

Sin from the oldest Taormina was defended by a circle of walls with three-pronged system of fortifications that started from the north with a path north-east side looking Messina, and expended west, with a path on the side of Catania.
Traces of these walls are still visible today as well as the city centre, at the Clock Tower, including two extreme sides of the city where they are, in fact, the two doors. This is Porta Messina and Porta Catania as are commonly called.
Porta Messina, restored at the beginning of last century, was named Porta Ferdinandea when it was inaugurated in 1808 by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. The event is commemorated in a plaque placed on top at the history of Port.

 

 

In ancient a key role had the sphere of religion that represented the culture and identity of a people.
Subject matter of debate among scholars is the relationship between cults, beliefs, myths of indigenous peoples and settlers italiote Greeks.
Initially the conquistadors settled in new lands to assert their supremacy on populations, their dominion over the territory, the new political role and thus establish their achievements annihilated away italic idols and temples to the gods raised the Pantheon greek transplanting their religious traditions and Magna civilians in Greece.
Subsequently, the coexistence or the proximity between the two peoples led to integration. This will result in an overlap of cults and traditions and indigenous Greek, which in some cases are confused: mythical heroes merge with local deities (gods and guardians of springs, caves and rivers) that express the power of natural forces.
Characteristics of religiosity magno-Greek had his imprint archaic, that the distinguished from the motherland, and the fact that many suburban sanctuaries - the oldest - were dedicated to female deities. One hypothesis advanced by scholars fascinating is that in these areas sacred occurred the first port of Greek settlers in places exchequer already been employed in earlier times by Micenei. Consequently the first places of worship risalirebbero to a period prior to the same Greek colonization, with the Mycenaean era, if not Minoan (VIII-XIII century. BC).
They were mainly female deities to protect places of call and points of passage, on the outskirts of the city.

Hera, sister and wife of Zeus, lady of nature, sovereign animal protector of marriage and childbirth, liberating from slavery, was the fruitfulness and guaranteed the harmony of polis: Hera is the goddess that best embodies the new order imposed with violence to the people submissive. The cult of the goddess was especially revered by the Achaeans exported in the lands of the West.

Goddess of love Aphrodite not fruitful, sexuality, and then placed in antithesis to Persephone. An ancient Greek tradition considered born from the foam of the sea. Her cult flourished especially around the large emporiums, close to ports where they practiced prostitution sacred.

The cult of Hera, Aphrodite and Persephone testify the strong link between the woman and the earth, so warned the new land of conquest, could also be an expression of the central role given to women in the family magno-Greek.

Athena, the daughter of Zeus, was born from his head; gave up her femininity while remaining virgin and clothing clothes of the goddess warrior. He was revered throughout Greece, but particularly nell'Attica. In the occasion of Panatenee, festivals celebrated in his honor every four years, the girls of Athens were a gift peplo sumptuously embroidered.

The cult of Artemis, goddess of hunting was living in Reggio with the name of Artemis Phakelitis (phakelon, bundles sarmenti, vegetables Marsh).

Among the male gods were particularly live cults of Zeus, Apollo, Hermes and Dionysus.

To Zeus, father of the gods, was dedicated generally the area of agora (the square seat of town). His son Apollo, brother of Artemis, was considered by the Greek god of goodness and beauty, the one who keeps order and enforces the law. Famous the oracle of Delfo, which was consulted before the founding of the colonies.

Hermes was driving in uncertain paths, protector of shepherds, thieves, young people in adolescence, accompanied the dead in step towards beyond.

The cult of Dionysus, the god of wine greek, it was originating in Thrace and had an ecstatic; was celebrated mainly by women, the famous Bacchae, who dressed in skins of animals, celebrated with screams and dances their orgies night.

Starting dall'VIII cent. BC began the expansion towards Greek East, the Black Sea, and towards the West, in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Greek colonization interested in southern regions of Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Sicily.
The Greeks are detached from their cities of origin, following the routes already covered by the Achaeans and the Cretans and began to found new colonies, driven not only by political reasons, economic, social and demographic, but also by a spirit of adventure, mainly stimulated by Homeric stories.
The shipments were driven by a leader, head of the Greek colonists, who first departure was sent to interrogate the oracle of Delfo, to get instructions on where to base the new colony. The foundation of a city was not left to individual of leader or a small group, but it was organized by the motherland, which provided the technical means (vessels, supplies of food, engineers and architects) required for the colonization.
The new poleis represented an opportunity for better life for the Greeks emigrated, and for the motherland were suppliers of raw materials, bases and outlets for trade to the entire Italian peninsula.
Important was the choice of place that resulted from a knowledge of the posts before colonization, from attending a commercial character (witnessed by the discovery of artefacts Greeks even in periods prior all'VIII century BC), the positioning of small emporiums or points of reference located in locations that will be established where the new colony, and the presence of settlers sent the first of the foundation. The sites were based in proximity of watercourses, and fertile lowland areas that were providing good in building ports. Settlers found in Magna Graecia a dry and mild climate, similar to those of the motherland, and a land rich in forests and watercourses.
Once established the colony was necessary to build walls to defend the city from the enemies; followed the allocation of plots of land to settlers - the first arrived had the most fertile lands - and finally the construction of grandiose temples.
The area of the acropolis, "the city high" with the homes of the gods and wide spaces reserved for religious ceremonies and sacrifices, contrasted with the provision irregular and chaotic neighbourhoods of the "Lower City" which presented: narrow streets, houses assiepate, and rare water wells. The new settlers, once come with their vessels, were facing the problem of having to establish relations with the peoples of place: Ausoni, Enotri, Itali, Sicilians, Messapi, Iapyges, who lived pastoralist and agriculture. The indigenous tribes were organized, but had nothing to do with the most advanced political organization, social and economic well-being of Greek poleis. It was thus to create a shock among the inhabitants of southern and new settlers who wanted to take their lands.
The term "Magna Graecia" was coined by the Greeks or oriental who stayed fascinated by the beauty and richness of places, or by the settlers (the Greeks western settled in new city) who wanted in this way declare independence from the motherland celebrating their lands.
Cities magno-Greek reached a splendor largest in Greece itself, and assumed great importance for intellectuals elleni between the fifth and fourth centuries. BC: I went to visit Plato and Pythagoras settled, Herodotus and Xenophanes.
Like the Greek poleis enjoyed their independence and autonomy, and often were at odds with each other for political reasons and conquest, so the same situation is also reflected in the colonies of Magna Greece and this will cause the destruction of flourishing cities.
The internal strife and the eternal rivalry poleis, will lead ultimately to a weakening of cities magno-Greek become easy prey of the Roman conquerors.

The Magna Graecia is the south of Italy. Everywhere emerge testimonies of our past. Just stop, even for a moment, to observe the landscape of southern regions, in a sunny day in summer. Here and there appear Doric columns, temples dedicated to Hera and Athena, houses, villas, necropolis, the remains of a past that can not be forgotten, but that belongs to us and brings the original matrix of a large part of western culture. The Magna Graecia is also this: the charm of a culture that finds its roots in the mists of time and that despite what is always present, always alive.
A world disappeared long ago but never forgotten, because with it, and its nature of "father of all European culture", making use of the glory of Rome and the culture of Raphael, the Neoclassicism of Foscolo and Monti and all the poets who are overlooking the scene of European culture and world, from that distant eighth century, where some settlers from neighboring Greece, decided to settle on the coast of southern Italy and Sicily.
It is not difficult to imagine what may have heard that foreign travellers, from 700 to today, visited the ruins of the city once impressive and now lapsed.
From 700 to date, Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily, Campania and Puglia, are inevitable destinations for artists and tourists who simply want to see where the birth of their culture. Goethe has gone from here, and also Stendhal, and of course Winckelmann, founder of the neoclassical movement, that of Magna Greece celebrated the glory and culture