Ragusa

Prominent façade

zoom La chiesa di San Giuseppe
La chiesa di San Giuseppe

The church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is small and occupies a much smaller space than large cathedrals. This, however, did not prevent it from featuring prominently in the square. This was made possible by the design choices of the Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista.
The façade of the new building was built further back than the previous church of San Tommaso (St. Thomas) to make it more visible from the street.
The façade is divided into three levels: in the first there is the entrance portal, on the second a louvre window , and the third acts as a bell tower.
This means that the different levels are different in size; the tallest segment contains the portal, followed by the middle and end segments.
The division, however, is not only horizontal; the free-standing columns and pilasters , resting on high bases divide the façade into three vertical parts.
This creates a play of light and shadow that seems to make the façade move; the architect achieved this effect using various decorative elements in relief and a design that sees the central part protrude further than the side sections.
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Six statues of Benedictine saints were placed on the façade: two bishop saints were placed to the sides of the portal, St. Gertrude and Scholastica on the lateral sections, and St. Benedict and St. Maurus on the second level.
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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

The two churches

Feast days

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A hall for the feasts

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life