Militello in Val di Catania

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

sight
The unveiling of the Madonna della Stella

statua della Madonna
On the eve of the Feast of the Madonna in Militello, which is celebrated on 8th September, one of the most exciting moments of the celebration takes place.
Before the statue is unveiled, and before the ritual celebrations, the crowd waits in muffled silence.
The statue is kept in a niche hidden by an iron sliding door that slowly opens to reveal the statue of the Madonna della Stella in all its shining beauty.

touch
The precious liturgical vestments

In the church of Madonna della Stella there is a collection of ancient liturgical vestments, clothes worn by the priest during celebration of the services.
Some of the precious fabrics of the vestments were donated by rich lords who traded fabrics, some of which came from Egypt.
The fabrics, now disused, were remodelled by the cloistered nuns, who supported themselves with these sartorial works by making wonderful priestly clothes enriched with gold thread embroidery.

taste
Quince paste

cotognataCotognata (quince paste) is a tasty typical sweet. It is made with quince, lemon and sugar and is cooked using the same process as jam.
Sometimes, on the occasion of certain festivities, these sweets are created with moulds and shapes, such as the patron saint or the coats of arms.
This culinary experience links votive tradition with flavour.

hearing
The Polizzi brothers’organ

organoThe magnificent pipe organ that rises from the chancel above the large entrance portal was built between 1925 and 1928 by the brothers Michele and Agostino Polizzi of Modica, who sought to bring back Baroque melodies to the restored church.
In fact, the sound of this scenographic instrument takes inspiration from some typical Serassian sounds, i.e. a range of 19th-century organ sounds, composed by the famous dynasty of organ masters, the Serassi family.

The casket of austerity under the great dome

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A casket of precious works

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

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The church and the college

The Franciscan convent

A heritage of votive works

St. Agatha and the candelore

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

A unifying project for the city of Catania

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The new roads of the city

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

A stone garden

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

The city within the city

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

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

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The works in the church

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

A story of rebirth

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

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The eagle-shaped city

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

Art in the cathedral

The interior of the church: space and colour

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city palace

One city, three sites

The Church of St. Paul

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The art of maiolica

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

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

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

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

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

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

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

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

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

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

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The interior and works of art

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The palace, the town, the church

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

City and nature

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

Altars, saints and sculptural works

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

Luminous sacred spaces

The Church of Madonna della Stella

The Church of St. Francis

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The Palazzo dei due mori

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

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

The church and the monastery

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

The articulated interior spaces

Religious architecture

The Church of St. Benedict

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

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

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

The expansion of space and changing reality