Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

The church houses the original painting of the Burgos Crucifix.
The work is known to date from 1696 thanks to an inscription on the back of the canvas that reveals the year it was painted, but not its author.
There is equally dubious and unclear information about the commission and the dynamics that brought the work to the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist). It was likely a Spanish artist linked to a commissioner who was also Spanish, or of Spanish origin, and the canvas is presumed to have been either a gift from an aristocratic family, perhaps the Di Stefano family (Giovanna Di Stefano founded the monastery), or the dowry of a young high-ranking nun.
The painting tela crocifisso di Burgosrecounts the most tragic moment in Christian history, the Crucifixion.
The dark background of the canvas conveys anxiety and all the tragedy of the event. Christ is shown in the centre of the canvas with a bowed head, long hair, beard and crown of thorns; his body shows clear signs of suffering and he has numerous wounds on his arms and chest. As per tradition, his hands and feet are nailed down.
What is completely unusual is the white robe that Jesus wears; embroidered and ankle-length, it is not often seen in paintings. It stands out from the near-black background, while the cross fades into it. Two silver cups and an ostrich egg are placed beneath the cross. In Christian symbolism, the ostrich egg represents resurrection.
Though Christ’s pose is the one we see in most depictions, the same cannot be said for his robe, making the unprecedented representation an important testimony.

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

Discovering the mother church

Feast days

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

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

The internal colours

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The two churches

Searching for colour