The monastery's history is linked to its archaeological past and particularly its location. Over the centuries, the monks assembled a highly valuable collection. Until a few decades ago the works were collected and exhibited in the five rooms connected to the library, where the artefacts were divi...

Benedictine rule was written by St. Benedict of Nursia for his monks. "The Rule" prescribed poverty, obedience and an obligation for the monks to alternate work and prayer, hence the famous motto "Ora et Labora", meaning "Pray and Work".  The monks were to cultivate the fields, copy and illustr...

The bas-reliefs that decorate and enrich the monumental staircase include one dedicated to the miracle of St. Nicholas. According to one of the many versions, on his way to the Council of Nicaea, St. Nicholas stopped at a tavern to eat some fish. But something felt not quite right, and inspired by ...

Maiolica is a type of glazed ceramic whose mixture contains tin, and sometimes even lead. Its name comes from the island of Mallorca, one of the most active places in the Middle Ages....

In the east cloister, there is a small temple-shaped building among the rich, green vegetation. At the base there is a podium where three slim columns stand at each corner and four arcades close the sides. The gaps between offer glimpses of colourful maiolica tiles that break up the pallor of th...

The new building was designed with enormous dimensions. It was to symbolise the order's power from a social, economic and political point of view, as well as the prestige of the monks' close ties with the viceregal court and local nobility. Due to this mania for greatness the Benedictines never co...

At the end of a large corridor we find the refectory, where the monks ate their daily meal. An oval room surmounted by a large vault painted by Catanese painter Giuseppe Piparo, it is now the seat of the Aula Magna (great hall) of the University of Catania. The room is illuminated by large windo...

One highly interesting detail is the splendid sundial that spans forty metres along the transept between the chapels of St. Benedict and St. Nicholas of Bari. The extraordinarily precise measuring instrument was created between 1839 and 1841 by two astronomers, W. S. von Waltershausen and C. Peter...

The church organ is located in the apse of the main altar. It is a monumental instrument, a great scenographic machine created by the artist Donato del Piano, who worked on it for 12 years and changed the design several times at the request of the Benedictine monks. The complicated organ has 2378 ...

Two chapels were built in the final section of the transept: one dedicated to the holy founder of the St. Benedict Order, the other to St. Nicholas, to whom the church was dedicated. The former has a green altar featuring work by Lazian artist Antonino Cavallucci: il sacrificio di Placido e Mauro a...