Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Once inside the church your eye is driven upwards, attracted by the majestic dome decorated in 1842 by Catanese painter Giuseppe Rapisardi. The fresco depicts St. Beryl, the city’s third patron saint , as St. Peter gives him the task of founding the Catanese church.
If you lower your gaze you will then see the gigantic windows, which fill the interior with light, followed by the round-bottomed grilles that allowed the nuns to attend celebrations in the church, and finally the four chapels with the altars.
The first and second of the four altars feature two of the oldest artworks, probably transferred from the old convent: a 14th-century panel depicting a Crucifixion and a painting with St. Anthony the Abbot by Pietro Abadessa from 1643. On the third altar, the first to the right of the entrance, is the painting by Olivio Sozzi from Catania. On the other side there is a sculptural group that represents the Crucifixion, with: Our Lady of Sorrows, John and Mary Magdalene.
Last but not least, we come to the main altar .
The uniqueness of this altar lies in its veritable status as architecture and not mere sculpture. It was created by the sculptor Giovambattista Marino based on a design attributed to Vaccarini .

The two churches

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

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

A long reconstruction

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

New roads for Catania

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

One city, two sites

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

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

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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