Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Badia di Sant'Agata (Abbey of St. Agatha) is located a few metres from Piazza Duomo. It was rebuilt after the tragic earthquake of 1693 by architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini .
The structure is formed of the Abbey and the monastery, founded in the early 1600s thanks to a generous donation from an aristocrat.
Reconstruction began in 1736, soon giving rise to a splendid building.
Vaccarini designed a grand structure in the shape of a cube, on top of which rests a large dome.
foto prospetto foto dettaglio cupola
Its grandeur and importance attract the attention of passers-by on Via Vittorio Emanuele. The architect created a colourful façade, with the base in grey lava stone and the rest in white limestone.
Vaccarini built a façade that seems to sway back and forth in an undulating movement. The central part is convex and the lateral areas are concave. The façade is a perfect example of Baroque style. The undulating effect is also created by the trabeation that alternates between curved and straight lines.

Zoom Facciata della Badia di Sant' Agata
Facciata della Badia di Sant' Agata

foto dettaglio trabeazione facciataFrom Via Vittorio Emanuele you can see the dome in all its immense beauty. The dome rests on an octagonal base made of lava and limestone, onto which open large windows that illuminate the interior. Another interesting and yet unusual element is the balustrade above the building. It runs along the entire perimeter of the roof.

The Badia di Sant'Agata
The Badia di Sant’Agata is 40 metres from Piazza Duomo. The architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini designed a large cube-shaped structure on which the dome rests. The facade has the base is in gray lava stone and the rest is in white limestone. Vaccarini builds a facade that seems to move back and forth with a wavy movement. The central part is convex, the side ones are concave. The plan of the church is a Greek cross. When you enter you pass from a small room to a large circular space, where white is the main color. To the white is added the yellow of the marble altars of Castronovo. There are four altars placed in four large niches. Each altar has a statue placed on it. They were made by Giovan Battista Marino and clockwise from the entrance there are: San Benedetto, l’Immacolata, San Giuseppe, Sant’Euplio.
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Prominent façade

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The internal colours

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The two churches

One city, two sites

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Norman apses

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Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

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Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

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The disastrous earthquake

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Searching for colour

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The wall comes to life

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A city in colour

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Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

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A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

Some prestigious works

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A triumph of colour

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The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

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The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica