The artistic wooden gate was built between 1732 and 1734.
It is divided into 32 tiles, 16 of them are representations, the rest are captions. The carved symbols are linked to the history of Lentini’s Church and the city.
Every representation is accompanied by a short caption in Latin language, useful to understand their meaning.
A the top of the portal the Holy Mary with Child and Saints Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino can be found. This representation symbolizes the two most important churches of the city unified after the earthquake in 1693. For this reason the Cathedral is dedicated both to Santa Maria La Cava and Saint Alfio.
On the lower band, from left, we can see the coat of arms of the bishop of Syracuse Matteo Trigona, Pope Clement XII’s coat of arms, the emblem of King Charles VI from the House of Hapsburg and the crest of the city of Lentini.
On the lower section we find symbols of suffering, such as the instruments used for the martyrdom of the three Saints and symbols linked to the Church; a palm tree that resists without snapping and a ship sailing the stormy sea are also represented to symbolize the Christian community that stands up to difficulties across the centuries.
Finally, in the last section, we find carvings of symbols of hope. We see a promontory that rises from a spring of fresh water, a metaphor of the growth and elevation of the Church of Lentini; palms and the martyrs’ crowns of victory; and finally a thunderbolt on a Cedar of Lebanon, a symbol of eternity, spiritual elevation and absence of fear in front of adversity. This last representation is a common feature in the Holy Scriptures.