This cathedral was built over a Norman church from the 11th century which in turn was built over the remains of a temple dedicated to Achilles. A large number of the lava stones used in this building are from ancient Roman buildings that were in the vicinity. Bellini, the opera composer is buried here along with several other luminaries from Sicily. The architect was a student of both Bernini and Borromini and came from Rome to design and build a number of buildings in Catania.