Ragusa

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is located on the corner of Piazza Pola, near the Cathedral of San Giorgio (St. George) in Ibla.foto della piazza che inquadra la chiesa It was built after 1756, when the Benedictine nuns of the nearby convent, led by the abbess Battistina Maria Arezzo, bought the old dilapidated church of San Tommaso Apostolo (Thomas the Apostle). Thanks to them, reconstruction work began for the new church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph).
The church building was built first, completed in 1774, followed by the demolition of the bell tower and the completion of the external and internal decorations. Foto facciata Initially the design for the new church was attributed to the great architect Rosario Gagliardi because of similarities with his other work, such as the Cathedral of San Giorgio (St. George) and the church of San Domenico (St. Dominic) in Noto. They all featured a horizontal division into three levels, with the final level containing the bell, but opinions have changed over the years and following more in-depth studies. Work by another architect, the Carmelite Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista, who worked not only in Ragusa but also on the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist) in Scicli, has a less innovative style than Gagliardi and is more similar to local artistic culture.
Well over seventy years later, Ibla and the Benedictine convent had a functioning new church, enjoyed by nuns and worshippers.
foto Facciata frontale

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

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

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

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

One city, two sites

A long reconstruction

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Many owners, one palace

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

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours