Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of San Benedetto (St. Benedict) is part of a larger complex including the monastery and a small church where the MACS (Museo Arte Contemporanea Sicilia, Sicily Contemporary Art Museum) is now located.foto del prospetto
It was also part of the reorganisation after the earthquake in 1693.
In fact, the Benedictine monastery originally had only one church, the second (home to the museum) was part of the old convent of Santa Maddalena (St. Magdalene), which were connected by an arch in 1704. The church was rebuilt in a few years (1704-1713) and dedicated to St. Benedict of Nursia .
foto arco d’unione foto monastero da via crociferi inquadrando l’arco d’unione
The façade of the church on Via dei Crociferi is tall and majestic and separated from the street by a wrought iron gate. The gate is divided horizontally into three levels: in the first there is the access portal; in the second there is a louvre window with a balcony; and the same layout is also repeated on the final level which completes the façade with a triangular structure.
For the decoration some architectural elements were used creatively; one example includes the structures on the first level that divide the façade vertically and are formed by a half column, on which a pilaster strip then another half column are placed.
foto gradinata dal basso verso l'alto foto dettaglio statue angeli
The entrance is up a spectacular staircase; the church has a single nave nave and is illuminated by the six large windows on the vault and the chandeliers resting on the trabeation .
The polychrome marble floor is the only remnant of the 17th-century church and was recovered from the ruins of the earthquake.

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

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

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

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

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

A colourful floor

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church