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

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The Franciscan convent

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

St. Agatha and the candelore

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

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

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

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

The church and the monastery

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The two churches

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city palace

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The Benedictines’ library

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

Art in the cathedral

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

Religious architecture

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

Reconstruction after the earthquake

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

The expansion of space and changing reality

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The Palazzo dei due mori

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

Luminous sacred spaces

The art of maiolica

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

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

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

The city within the city

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

A heritage of votive works

The interior of the church: space and colour

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

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

The articulated interior spaces

One city, three sites

The palace, the town, the church

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

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

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The Church of St. Paul

The Church of Madonna della Stella

The eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

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

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

The new roads of the city

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

The works in the church

The interior and works of art

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

A story of rebirth

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

A casket of precious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The Staircase of Angels

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The church and the college

A stone garden

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

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

City and nature

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

A unifying project for the city of Catania

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

The Church of St. Francis

The Church of St. Benedict

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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