Catania

The church and the monastery

The church of San Benedetto (St. Benedict), considered one of the best examples of late Baroque in Catania, is located inside the historic monastery at the beginning of Via dei Crociferi.
monastero da via crociferi inquadrando l'arco d'unioneIt is the other largest convent complex of the Benedictine nuns and their current residence.
It is said that the superb arch that opens onto the street was built in one night to unite the two monasteries and connect the abbeys, following the earthquake in 1704.
arco d'unioneThe grandeur that emanates from this place inspired Giovanni Verga ‘s “Storia di una Capinera” (Story of a Blackcap) and Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation (Sparrow) set in Via dei Crociferi.
The monastery of San Benedetto originated from the remains of a Roman domus dating back to imperial times, the remains of which were discovered during restoration work.
One of the most fascinating elements of the cloistered monastery, where the Benedictine nuns practised a characteristic form of devotion , is the parlour, the only place where the nuns could have contact with the outside world.
In this room, concealed by thick black grating, they were allowed to talk to their relatives.
The room’s floor, preserved in its original state, dates back to the 14th century and is made of terracotta and limestone. It also has geometrically shaped decorations typical of the Arab-Norman period, created by the intersection of several depictions joined together. The main element is the symbolic eight-pointed star repeated in the geometric flooring and which represents the sacred centre par excellence.

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The two churches

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

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

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

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

The church and the monastery

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

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

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The Benedictines’ library

A casket of precious works

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

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

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

A story of rebirth

Religious architecture

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Luminous sacred spaces

The church and the college

The Church of St. Benedict

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The palace, the town, the church

The works in the church

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

The Church of Madonna della Stella

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

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

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

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

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The Church of St. Paul

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

A heritage of votive works

The casket of austerity under the great dome

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the candelore

The Palazzo dei due mori

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The interior and works of art

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The Church of St. Francis

The eagle-shaped city

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

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

The Franciscan convent

A unifying project for the city of Catania

City and nature

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The city within the city

The new roads of the city

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

Reconstruction after the earthquake

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

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

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

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

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

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

Art in the cathedral

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The expansion of space and changing reality

The interior of the church: space and colour

The art of maiolica

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

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city palace

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The articulated interior spaces

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

One city, three sites

A stone garden

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