Mediterranean Festival of Sacred Music
A week of concerts, talks, and spirituality in the historic churches of Catania
About Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival
A festival for dialogue between Mediterranean cultures
The Mediterranean Festival of Sacred Music is an event held in Catania, Sicily, which every May dedicates an entire week to the sacred music of the peoples living around the Mediterranean. Promoted by the AreaSud Association and the Archdiocese of Catania, in collaboration with the International Sacred Music Festival of Pordenone, the festival was created with the goal of fostering interreligious dialogue through the universal language of music.
Concerts, meetings, and spirituality with free admission
The program weaves together concerts, lectures, workshops, and photo exhibitions, all with free admission, designed for residents, scholars, and tourists alike. The stage features polyphonic choirs, early music ensembles, Gregorian and Byzantine chant soloists, and new contemporary sacred music productions, all capable of evoking the depth of the sacred in its many forms. Alongside the musical events, moments of study and reflection bring artists, researchers, and institutions into dialogue to promote mutual understanding between different cultures and faiths.
The venues: historic churches and landmarks of Catania
The festival chooses some of the most evocative locations in Catania's historic center and the Etna region as its stage. Venues that have hosted the festival include the Benedictine Monastery, the Art Gallery of the Diocesan Museum, the Church of Sant'Anna, the Church of Sant'Agata la Vetere, the Waldensian Evangelical Church, and the Basilica Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Elemosina in Biancavilla. These spaces of great historical and artistic value amplify the spiritual dimension of the listening experience.
A sonic bridge across the Mare Nostrum
From Sicilian Byzantine chant to Renaissance polyphony, from spirituals to popular oral traditions, and even the Opera dei Pupi reinterpreted in a musical key, the festival tells the story of a pluralistic Mediterranean. Recent editions have chosen highly topical themes, such as justice and peace, intertwining sacred music with reflections on the encounter between peoples and significant anniversaries like the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.
An event rooted in the territory
Although young, the Mediterranean Festival of Sacred Music has quickly established itself as a benchmark for Catania's cultural spring, successfully combining high artistic quality, free access, and openness to the community. The Province of Catania and all of Sicily find in this festival an opportunity to rediscover their musical and spiritual roots within the broader horizon of the Mediterranean.
Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival — edition 2026
2026 Edition: Justice and Peace
The second edition of the Mediterranean Festival of Sacred Music was held in Catania from May 10 to 17, 2026, with an entirely free program focused on the themes of justice and peace. The festival featured new artistic productions dedicated to the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi and the theater of the Opera dei Pupi.
The opening on Sunday, May 10, featured the Doxa to Theo concert by the Byzantine choir of Palazzo Adriano at the Waldensian Evangelical Church. Significant events included the conference on Italo-Greek Byzantine music, the multimedia concert Sound Paintings for Justice and Peace at the Benedictine Monastery and the Diocesan Museum, the IsolaPunta concert on the Mediterranean Stabat Mater at the Church of Sant'Anna, the symphonic-choral concert Our Francis, and the opera L'Angelica for the puppet theater at the Church of Sant'Agata la Vetere.
Programme Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival 2026
2026 Program (selection)
- May 10, 7:30 PM — Waldensian Evangelical Church: Doxa to Theo concert, Byzantine choir of Palazzo Adriano (preview)
- May 11, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Benedictine Monastery: conference "Italo-Greek Byzantine music: between tradition and modernity"; 7:30 PM, Diocesan Museum Art Gallery: multimedia concert Sound Paintings for Justice and Peace
- May 13, 11:00 AM — IOS Pestalozzi: conference "Bread in the Mediterranean, food of peace" with Ignazio E. Buttitta
- May 14 — Church of SS. Crocifisso dei Miracoli: inauguration of the photo exhibition Ketsia… her voice by Antonio Raciti; concert by the Giuseppe De Cicco Polyphonic Choir
- May 15, 7:00 PM — Church of Sant'Anna: IsolaPunta, Mediterranean Stabat Mater; 8:30 PM, Church of Santa Rita: symphonic-choral concert Our Francis
- May 16 — Convent of the Dominican Fathers: workshops on Sicilian-Albanian liturgical chant and Renaissance polyphony; 7:30 PM in Biancavilla and 9:00 PM at Sant'Agata la Vetere: L'Angelica, opera for the Opera dei Pupi
- May 17 — Church of Santa Maria all'Ogninella: Ardore et Alegranza by the ensemble Le rose e le viole; repeat performance of L'Angelica at Sant'Agata la Vetere
Highlights Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival 2026
- Inaugural concert Doxa to Theo by the Byzantine choir of Palazzo Adriano
- Multimedia concert Sound Paintings for Justice and Peace
- Opera L'Angelica for the Sicilian puppet theater
- Photo exhibition Ketsia… her voice by Antonio Raciti
- All events with free admission
Prices Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival 2026
Practical information — Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival
How to get there
Catania is accessible by plane via Catania-Fontanarossa International Airport, by train to Catania Centrale station, and by car via the A18 and A19 motorways. The festival venues are mostly located in the historic center and are easily reachable on foot or by public transport.
Admission and reservations
All festival events are free to attend, subject to availability. Reservations are generally not required. We recommend checking the official website and social media channels for updated schedules and details on individual venues.
Information
Full program and updates are available on the website musicasacracatania.it.
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Where does it take place — Mediterranean Sacred Music Festival
Chiese e luoghi storici del centro di Catania