Catania

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

Portale Maggiore
The most original element of Vaccarini ‘s composition is found in the chromatic variations resulting from the use of different materials for the façade.
The three-level façade houses, in the lower section, the main portal flanked by two statues of St. Peter and St. Paul and the two smaller side portals, surmounted by large oval windows.

trabeazione cattedrale sant'AgataThe first level has six free-standing columns in red granite, perhaps from the Roman Theatre of Catania. The second level is divided by six columns placed at the sides of a large window that illuminates the central nave, and houses, in the centre of the niche, the statue of St. Agatha flanked by angels.
The façade is defined with a tympanum supported by four minor columns.
The interior of the cathedral is an absolute wonder.
As you enter it, you can sense the greatness of the Baroque reconstruction that continues to interact with some Norman period elements made entirely of lava stone .
The mighty pillars in yellow limestone rest on lava stone bases, dividing the three naves.
From the entrance, enriched by two pairs of red columns on a marble base, extends a polychrome marble floor with geometric designs. All these elements create a strong perspective centred on the altar, increasing the room’s scenic impact.
pavimento in marmo policromipavimento in marmo policromi

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The two churches

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

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

The art of maiolica

A stone garden

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The articulated interior spaces

A story of rebirth

The city palace

The city within the city

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The new roads of the city

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The interior of the church: space and colour

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

The Franciscan convent

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

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

St. Agatha and the candelore

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

A heritage of votive works

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The casket of austerity under the great dome

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

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

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The eagle-shaped city

The Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Church of St. Francis

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The Palazzo dei due mori

The Church of Madonna della Stella

One city, three sites

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

The church and the college

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Art in the cathedral

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Reconstruction after the earthquake

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The Church of St. Paul

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

City and nature

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

Luminous sacred spaces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The palace, the town, the church

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The works in the church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

The church and the monastery

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The expansion of space and changing reality

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The interior and works of art

A casket of precious works

The Church of St. Benedict

Religious architecture