Ragusa

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is located on the corner of Piazza Pola, near the Cathedral of San Giorgio (St. George) in Ibla.foto della piazza che inquadra la chiesa It was built after 1756, when the Benedictine nuns of the nearby convent, led by the abbess Battistina Maria Arezzo, bought the old dilapidated church of San Tommaso Apostolo (Thomas the Apostle). Thanks to them, reconstruction work began for the new church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph).
The church building was built first, completed in 1774, followed by the demolition of the bell tower and the completion of the external and internal decorations. Foto facciata Initially the design for the new church was attributed to the great architect Rosario Gagliardi because of similarities with his other work, such as the Cathedral of San Giorgio (St. George) and the church of San Domenico (St. Dominic) in Noto. They all featured a horizontal division into three levels, with the final level containing the bell, but opinions have changed over the years and following more in-depth studies. Work by another architect, the Carmelite Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista, who worked not only in Ragusa but also on the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist) in Scicli, has a less innovative style than Gagliardi and is more similar to local artistic culture.
Well over seventy years later, Ibla and the Benedictine convent had a functioning new church, enjoyed by nuns and worshippers.
foto Facciata frontale

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

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

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

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

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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