Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Once inside the church your eye is driven upwards, attracted by the majestic dome decorated in 1842 by Catanese painter Giuseppe Rapisardi. The fresco depicts St. Beryl, the city’s third patron saint , as St. Peter gives him the task of founding the Catanese church.
If you lower your gaze you will then see the gigantic windows, which fill the interior with light, followed by the round-bottomed grilles that allowed the nuns to attend celebrations in the church, and finally the four chapels with the altars.
The first and second of the four altars feature two of the oldest artworks, probably transferred from the old convent: a 14th-century panel depicting a Crucifixion and a painting with St. Anthony the Abbot by Pietro Abadessa from 1643. On the third altar, the first to the right of the entrance, is the painting by Olivio Sozzi from Catania. On the other side there is a sculptural group that represents the Crucifixion, with: Our Lady of Sorrows, John and Mary Magdalene.
Last but not least, we come to the main altar .
The uniqueness of this altar lies in its veritable status as architecture and not mere sculpture. It was created by the sculptor Giovambattista Marino based on a design attributed to Vaccarini .

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

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

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Feast days

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade