Caltagirone

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

hearing
Listening was important

With a little imagination you can return to 1800 when the church was still used by the nuns and you could listen to the liturgical celebrations.
Worshippers and the nuns attended mass. But there was a problem!
The nuns could not be seen by anyone because they lived in seclusion.
So how did they attend mass? Galleries, like a sort of box seat, were built with louvre blinds (grilles), behind which they could watch the celebrations without being seen.

touch
Touch to discover

Touching objects is one of our instincts and gives us an immediate connection to what is in front of us.
Touching the façade of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) would help us understand the material’s hardness, the stone’s temperature and the porosity of the surface (smooth or rough), giving us a great deal of information in a very short time.
When comparing this information with other objects, we uncover the differences between one material and another.
The maiolica tiles on the floor of Santa Chiara are colder and much smoother to the touch than the façade. The wood of the galleries, on the other hand, is warmer than the sandstone façade and the maiolica floor and balustrade.

sight
Antependium

The alter area hides a masterpiece: the antependium.
Situated in the front part of the altar, the artists took inspiration from Renaissance architecture for the decoration.
The result was a splendid scenographic effect, amplified by the use of mirrors and embellished with materials such as amber and wood covered with silver sheets, then worked to imitate gold.
The light that hits it creates wonderful reflections that illuminate the room. foto edificio a specchi

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A long reconstruction

Feast days

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Two illustrious patron saints

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Wonderful quick decorations

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A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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The disastrous earthquake

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St. Sebastian, so much work!

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The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

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The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

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A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

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The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

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The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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