The term monolithic indicates an element consisting of a single block of stone. A monolithic column is a column that does not have drums, i.e. the overlapping stone units that make up the column shaft....

"Ionic" indicates the type of capital with volutes and base of a pilaster, an architectural element incorporated in the wall, required to support a building's structure. It protrudes only very slightly from the wall surface....

Late Renaissance, also known as Mannerism, is an artistic and architectural movement regulated by the constant dialogue between classical culture, reflected in the form and architectural taste, and innovation, expressed by the artist's or architect's ability to make changes to the form through his o...

A trifora is a type of window that can be inserted inside or outside a building. It is divided vertically into three parts by small columns or pillars and can often be framed by an arch....

The diocesan museum houses artefacts from the church, the convent and local institutions. Preservation of the architecture of the complex is an integral part of the museum's mission. It is divided into four sections, where sacred objects are exhibited within the spaces of the former convent. The s...

A tympanum is said to be broken when the horizontal cornice is missing the central part or if the buttresses, i.e. the elements giving the triangular or curved shape of the tympanum, are separated. This type of tympanum is also used as an overhead part of windows....

  The four "large boards" inserted in the façade of the church contain reliefs alluding to Marian symbols: starting from the bottom left, we find a palm tree and a cedar tree; in the second level, we can see the gate of heaven and the Tower of David. Above, the lunette features the Franciscan em...

The Palermo-born sculptor worked during the second half of the 18th century in some Sicilian cities and on the largest buildings in Catania. In particular, he was part of the group of sculptors who worked on the Benedictine Monastery. In 1767 he made the models of the statues for the façade of ...

[caption id="attachment_15877" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] chiesa di san Domenico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_15876" align="aligncenter" width="666"] Santa Maria della Pietà[/caption]...

The Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte (Staircase of St. Mary of the Mountain) is by nature a very scenic architectural element within the city of Caltagirone. Throughout May, on the occasion of the Infiorata for the festivities of the Madonna dei Conadomini, it can be seen completely adorned with t...