Construction of the Church of St Nicholas began in the early 18th century, as part of the general reconstruction in Sicily following the devastating earthquake of 1693.
The long interval between the beginning of the building, to designs by Rosario Gagliardi, and its completion in 1776 under the supervision of Bernardo Labisi,[REF] probably accounts for various peculiarities and inconsistencies of design, and the introduction of Neo-Classical elements.