Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Located in Piazza Dante in the historic centre of Catania, the church of San Nicolò l’Arena is the spiritual heart of the monastery. It was built after Etna’s eruption in 1669, replacing an older building from the Renaissance period.
The façade is striking for the giant proportions of the eight columns, which, in pairs placed on large bases, flank the main and side portals.ta chiesa da piazza dante The large rectangular windows and the two oval openings above the portals light up the heavy, white marble structure. Work was started in 1774 by the architect Carmelo Battaglia Santangelo and left unfinished in 1802 by his cousin Antonino Battaglia. What is most surprising is the strong contrast between the incompleteness of the exterior and the large spaces of the interior.
foto cupola foto interno centrando l'altare
The church has a Latin cross plan, divided into three naves , separated by large arcades; crossing the main nave leads you to the main altar.
The walls have no particular decorations; as a matter of fact, they are white, but the interior shines thanks to light from the windows. The brightness is also created by the majestic dome designed by architect Stefano Ittar in 1780. Its large windows create plays of light that are reflected between the naves, altar and precious colourful marble floor.
69 foto dettaglio cupola foto parete navata con arcate e finestre
Inside, the church contains precious works of art , a valuable organ and a splendid sundial .
foto cappella foto organo foto meridiana su pavimento

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

Prominent façade

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

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

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites