Aidone - Sant Antonio Abate

According to some scholars, Aidone was founded at the end of the 11th century by the Normans during the conquest of Sicily and the expulsion of the Arabs, but it is more likely that the Normans confined themselves to refounding and repopulating a pre-existing village snatched from the Saracens.

At the time of Frederick II Aidone most probably belonged to the direct possession of the king The Emperor allowed some soldiers from Piacenza to settle in Aidone-

In 1229 the Knights Templar were allowed to build the church of San Giovanni. After the death of Frederick II in 1255, Aidone declared itself a free commune and was able to resist the attack of the Count of Catanzaro, who acted in the name of King Manfredi. However, in 1257 it was taken and plundered by the Swabian army led by Federico Lancia. Aidone took part in the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers and expelled the French garrison
According to legend, the Chiesa Sant'Antonio Abbate dates back to a Christianized mosque, but the floor plan could also be late Roman or Byzantine. The building received its current shape in Norman times