Caltagirone

The representative elements of the Church of San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata

One of the elements that characterises the majestic church of San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata is the dome, crowned by glazed terracotta spheres and divided into eight sections that house large windows.
The dome was left unfinished due to a tragic collapse in 1702 during works to complete it.
In fact, it does not have a segmental dome, i.e. the hemisphere that makes up the dome, or a skylight, the element used to let light into the dome. Another element of great value is the bell tower built in 1852 by Caltagirone architect Salvatore Marino, which stands slenderly next to the dome.
cappella del seminario  foto del campanile e cupola
Its shape and finishes were designed to match the ornamental richness of the façade. In addition, a cusp was designed, a pointed ornamental structure in turn surmounted by a tall steeple, an architectural element with an elongated, thin profile that, together with the cusp creates the illusion of the bell tower extending further up to the sky.
The bell tower is so elegant that it inspired the architect Ugo Tarchi who, in 1954, designed the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Giuliano nearby the church of San Francesco D’Assisi.
There are some very valuable objects inside the church. These include numerous paintings by the Vaccaro brothers, a silver-covered wooden statue from 1677 depicting St. Anthony, and a large maiolica panel by Antonio Ragona, depicting the nativity with St. Francis.

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The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

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The Benedictines’ library

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Altars, saints and sculptural works

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Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The Franciscan convent

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Luminous sacred spaces

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Baroque creativity: recurring themes

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

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The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The casket of austerity under the great dome

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The smallest Greek theatre in the world

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

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The Church of Madonna della Stella

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

A stone garden

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A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

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The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

Religious architecture

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

Art in the cathedral

The city palace

The Palazzo dei due mori

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

City and nature

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The palace, the town, the church

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

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

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The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The expansion of space and changing reality

The articulated interior spaces

A casket of precious works

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From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

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The Church of St. Francis

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Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

The two churches

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

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Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

One city, three sites

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

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The works in the church

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi