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.
foto zoom gelosia foto particolare colonna libera e parasta lato portale
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.
foto statue su mensole foto statue su mensole foto statue su mensole foto statue su mensole
foto statue su mensole foto statue su mensole

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

One city, two sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase