Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of San Benedetto (St. Benedict) is part of a larger complex including the monastery and a small church where the MACS (Museo Arte Contemporanea Sicilia, Sicily Contemporary Art Museum) is now located.foto del prospetto
It was also part of the reorganisation after the earthquake in 1693.
In fact, the Benedictine monastery originally had only one church, the second (home to the museum) was part of the old convent of Santa Maddalena (St. Magdalene), which were connected by an arch in 1704. The church was rebuilt in a few years (1704-1713) and dedicated to St. Benedict of Nursia .
foto arco d’unione foto monastero da via crociferi inquadrando l’arco d’unione
The façade of the church on Via dei Crociferi is tall and majestic and separated from the street by a wrought iron gate. The gate is divided horizontally into three levels: in the first there is the access portal; in the second there is a louvre window with a balcony; and the same layout is also repeated on the final level which completes the façade with a triangular structure.
For the decoration some architectural elements were used creatively; one example includes the structures on the first level that divide the façade vertically and are formed by a half column, on which a pilaster strip then another half column are placed.
foto gradinata dal basso verso l'alto foto dettaglio statue angeli
The entrance is up a spectacular staircase; the church has a single nave nave and is illuminated by the six large windows on the vault and the chandeliers resting on the trabeation .
The polychrome marble floor is the only remnant of the 17th-century church and was recovered from the ruins of the earthquake.

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

Feast days

A new site for a new church

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

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