Ragusa

Searching for colour

The interior of the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is a single large oval-shaped room.
The Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista most likely took inspiration for its floor plan from the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) in Noto.
The architect friar had two entrances built, one from Piazza Pola and the other directly from the convent for access by the nuns. As you enter the church you are surprised and overwhelmed by its very high ceiling, an effect achieved thanks to the majestic dome and the four windows that fill the space with light.
Ingresso verso l’altare foto dal basso verso l’alto della cupola
As for the walls, they were left white with some golden stucco decoration.
This pallor, however, is immediately broken up by four colourful altars placed along the walls, the painting on the high altar and the vault fresco.

zoom affresco della volta
affresco della volta

The painting with the Holy Family was created by painter Matteo Battaglia from Ragusa and the fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict is the work of Sebastiano Lo Monaco, an artist from Catania.
To add colour to the room, and to create a strong contrast with the white walls, black pietra pece was used for the floor, which features a white limestone decoration.
uno degli altari sulle pareti pavimento

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The façade used as a puppet theatre

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New roads for Catania

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Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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The Maiolica of the staircase

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Norman apses

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Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Between white and black

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The city of museums

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

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A half-Baroque church

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Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

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A hall for the feasts

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One city, three sites

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One city, two sites

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Searching for colour

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The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

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Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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The two churches

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites