Militello in Val di Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The town of Militello in Val di Catania, once called Militello in Val di Noto, is one of the centres rebuilt on a new site following the great earthquake of 1693.
Located in the northern part of the Hyblaean Mountains, it was rebuilt in a grid layout further upstream but still nearby the former site.foto militello droneThe name Militellus, or Militum Tellus, land of soldiers, is said to be of Roman origin like the town, though no proof of this has yet been found. Another fascinating theory links the name’s origin to the honey-coloured local stone, from which “Mellis Tellus”, or land of honey, would derive.
The first settlement is thought to date back to the Byzantine era near the valley of the river Lèmbasi, south of the current town. This is shown by the transformation of the necropolises into homes and places of Christian worship.
Militello was also a fortified centre and remained a fiefdom until the 18th century, following the rule of the Barresi and Branciforte lords. The town reached maximum expansion in the 17th century, before the great earthquake of 1693. In fact, the enlightened Prince Francesco Branciforte designed a new road layout and came up with a possible way to expand the town without completely changing site.
The two main churches, Santa Maria della Stella (St. Mary of the Star) and San Nicolò (St. Nicholas), were rebuilt in the upper part of the town in late Baroque style, following the destruction of the earthquake.

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

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

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

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

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

A city in colour

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours