Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

The church houses the original painting of the Burgos Crucifix.
The work is known to date from 1696 thanks to an inscription on the back of the canvas that reveals the year it was painted, but not its author.
There is equally dubious and unclear information about the commission and the dynamics that brought the work to the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist). It was likely a Spanish artist linked to a commissioner who was also Spanish, or of Spanish origin, and the canvas is presumed to have been either a gift from an aristocratic family, perhaps the Di Stefano family (Giovanna Di Stefano founded the monastery), or the dowry of a young high-ranking nun.
The painting tela crocifisso di Burgosrecounts the most tragic moment in Christian history, the Crucifixion.
The dark background of the canvas conveys anxiety and all the tragedy of the event. Christ is shown in the centre of the canvas with a bowed head, long hair, beard and crown of thorns; his body shows clear signs of suffering and he has numerous wounds on his arms and chest. As per tradition, his hands and feet are nailed down.
What is completely unusual is the white robe that Jesus wears; embroidered and ankle-length, it is not often seen in paintings. It stands out from the near-black background, while the cross fades into it. Two silver cups and an ostrich egg are placed beneath the cross. In Christian symbolism, the ostrich egg represents resurrection.
Though Christ’s pose is the one we see in most depictions, the same cannot be said for his robe, making the unprecedented representation an important testimony.

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

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

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Prominent façade

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

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

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A prominent church

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church