Scicli

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

As you enter the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Baptist), the perception of the bright and scenic space is also given thanks to the works housed within it: endless frescoes, paintings, altars, iridescent stucco, stained glass windows, decorations and ornaments.
There is one work that stands out from the others. The Burgos crucifix, commonly known as “Christ in a skirt”, is a painting that depicts the crucifixion.
The uniqueness of this work lies in its iconography and depiction. The background of the painting is so dark that you can barely make out the wooden cross. Christ’s pose is traditional: arms open, feet fixed to the cross, wounded body and his defenceless head leaning to one side wearing the crown of thorns. What differs from common depictions is the embroidered white garment, with its soft grey shades that emphasise its movement, placed between the waist and ankles.
Below the nailed feet are two silver cups, whose iconographic meaning is unknown, and an ostrich egg, a symbol of resurrection.
On the work you can read the date 1696, but the name of the artist, probably Spanish, is not visible.
The painting could be a donation from the Di Stefano family (Giovanna Di Stefano founded the monastery and was married to Don Girolamo Ribera of Toledo, Spain) or may have arrived at the monastery as a gift from an aristocratic nun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The Church of St. Paul

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

The two churches

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The Church of St. Francis

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

Religious architecture

A stone garden

A story of rebirth

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The Church of Madonna della Stella

The Church of St. Benedict

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

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

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

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

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

The city within the city

The articulated interior spaces

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

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

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

The Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The expansion of space and changing reality

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The works in the church

Altars, saints and sculptural works

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

The palace, the town, the church

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

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Art in the cathedral

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

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

Luminous sacred spaces

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

A unifying project for the city of Catania

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The Staircase of Angels

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The art of maiolica

The church and the college

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

The city palace

The eagle-shaped city

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

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

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

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

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

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

St. Agatha and the candelore

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

A casket of precious works

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The new roads of the city

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

A heritage of votive works

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

City and nature

The interior of the church: space and colour

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

The church and the monastery

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The Franciscan convent

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The Palazzo dei due mori

The interior and works of art