Caltagirone

A long reconstruction

The church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) is located in the eastern part of the town on Via Giovanni Bosco, not far from the church of Gesù (Jesus).
Legend has it that it was St. Claire who had both the church and monastery built. Unfortunately, nothing has been preserved of the ancient structures.
The earthquake of 1693 damaged both buildings. Reconstruction was not immediate, but had to wait until 1740. In that year the abbess explained to the Bishop of Syracuse, Matteo Trigona, that it was necessary to intervene since the state and condition of the structures were badly damaged. The Bishop commissioned a group of experts to oversee the reconstruction, but money soon ran out.
Everything changed in 1743, when the Bishop announced that the works would resume during his visit to Caltagirone.
The project was entrusted to one of the best architects of the time, Rosario Gagliardi .
A church was built with a plan in the shape of an irregular octagon, with a narrow, long façade that swelled outwards like a sort of belly.
The façade also has only one entrance door enclosed at the sides by two giant order columns and on top by a tympanum , not with a continuous line, but a broken one.
Inside, the splendid maiolica , flooring is striking. Green, blue and yellow accompany worshippers up to the balustrade, which is also made with maiolica tiles from Caltagirone.
foto prospetto foto Facciata dettaglio timpano edicola foto Dettagli della decorazione

Between white and black

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica