Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

The church houses the original painting of the Burgos Crucifix.
The work is known to date from 1696 thanks to an inscription on the back of the canvas that reveals the year it was painted, but not its author.
There is equally dubious and unclear information about the commission and the dynamics that brought the work to the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist). It was likely a Spanish artist linked to a commissioner who was also Spanish, or of Spanish origin, and the canvas is presumed to have been either a gift from an aristocratic family, perhaps the Di Stefano family (Giovanna Di Stefano founded the monastery), or the dowry of a young high-ranking nun.
The painting tela crocifisso di Burgosrecounts the most tragic moment in Christian history, the Crucifixion.
The dark background of the canvas conveys anxiety and all the tragedy of the event. Christ is shown in the centre of the canvas with a bowed head, long hair, beard and crown of thorns; his body shows clear signs of suffering and he has numerous wounds on his arms and chest. As per tradition, his hands and feet are nailed down.
What is completely unusual is the white robe that Jesus wears; embroidered and ankle-length, it is not often seen in paintings. It stands out from the near-black background, while the cross fades into it. Two silver cups and an ostrich egg are placed beneath the cross. In Christian symbolism, the ostrich egg represents resurrection.
Though Christ’s pose is the one we see in most depictions, the same cannot be said for his robe, making the unprecedented representation an important testimony.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

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

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours