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 the Annunciation

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

One city, three sites

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A prominent church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

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

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake