Catania

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

sight
Panoramic views to contemplate beauty

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey) offers many panoramic viewpoints for contemplating the beauty of the entire historic centre. It’s certainly worth taking the long staircase that leads to the upper terraces and the walkway that surrounds the dome.
From here you can admire the entire city: the Bellini Theatre, the Cathedral, the Ursino Castle, the churches of Via Crociferi and all the artistic marvels that the city of Catania has to offer.
zoom cupola panoramica dalla cupola

smell
The scent of wax

The smell of wax is one of the most characteristic scents within the church and in the streets of Catania during the celebrations of the patron saint.
Votive candles are still produced today in Catania’s artisanal workshops using techniques and raw materials steeped in ancient knowledge.
There were originally two types of candles: those made with beeswax, which were more refined and expensive, and those made with animal fat, which were far cheaper but gave off an unpleasant smell and smoke.

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

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

A heritage of votive works

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

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

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

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The new roads of the city

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The Church of St. Francis

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

Religious architecture

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

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

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

The articulated interior spaces

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

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

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

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

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

A stone garden

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

The Benedictines’ library

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Art in the cathedral

St. Agatha and the candelore

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The eagle-shaped city

The Franciscan convent

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

The interior of the church: space and colour

The church and the college

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The works in the church

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The city within the city

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The Church of Madonna della Stella

One city, three sites

The two churches

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

Luminous sacred spaces

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A story of rebirth

The expansion of space and changing reality

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The interior and works of art

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

The Staircase of Angels

The church and the monastery

The Church of St. Paul

The palace, the town, the church

The Palazzo dei due mori

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

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

The art of maiolica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

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

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

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

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

The city palace

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

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

The Church of St. Benedict

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

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

A casket of precious works

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

City and nature