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.

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

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

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The two churches

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

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

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

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