The information available to us on S. Calogero is very confusing. According to tradition, even if certain documents are lacking, Calogero was born in around 466 in ancient Thrace, that was initially a Roman province and then part of the Byzantine empire. Since he was a child he studied the Holy Scriptures, then began to live in solitude and had an angelic vision that suggested him to evangelize Sicily. After obtaining authorization from the Pope, he went to the island with some companions, where he stopped for a few years in Lipari, in the Aeolian Islands, preaching the Gospel and teaching the people how to heal themselves using the thermal springs. Calogero then died in old age inside a cave near Sciacca, where he was buried by the people who had gathered. According to tradition the relics of the saint would have been taken to a nearby monastery, and then moved several times around the province of Messina. For this reason S. Calogero is venerated throughout Sicily with intense processions and celebrations taking place on June 18th.

The tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The statue of the saint – which can be admired on the south side of the Cathedral – was commissioned from the sculptor Donato Carabelli in 1824 and positioned on the spire the following year.