The seminary was founded on 15 December 1881 by the first Bishop of Acireale, Gerlando Maria Genaurdi. The building which houses the seminary was originally St. Martin's college and was acquired by a group of priests for the purpose of establishing a seminary for men from various dioceses of Sicily and southern Italy who were training for the priesthood. He served as rector from 1881 to 1887. Blessed
Gabriele Maria Allegra studied at the seminary before engaging in missionary work in China before translating the Bible into Chinese for the first time. As of 2007, the seminary housed a total of 20 seminarians The rector of the seminary as of 2021 is Don Marco Catalano, and the vice-rector is Fr. Alfio Privitera. The seminary engages in Christian outreach and ecumenical meetings, as seen in 2025 when they had an ecumenical summit with the Episcopal Church in Italy's Seminary of Acireale. They spend time studying literature following a Papal decree of
Pope Francis. == References ==