Catania

The church and the monastery

The church of San Benedetto (St. Benedict), considered one of the best examples of late Baroque in Catania, is located inside the historic monastery at the beginning of Via dei Crociferi.
monastero da via crociferi inquadrando l'arco d'unioneIt is the other largest convent complex of the Benedictine nuns and their current residence.
It is said that the superb arch that opens onto the street was built in one night to unite the two monasteries and connect the abbeys, following the earthquake in 1704.
arco d'unioneThe grandeur that emanates from this place inspired Giovanni Verga ‘s “Storia di una Capinera” (Story of a Blackcap) and Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation (Sparrow) set in Via dei Crociferi.
The monastery of San Benedetto originated from the remains of a Roman domus dating back to imperial times, the remains of which were discovered during restoration work.
One of the most fascinating elements of the cloistered monastery, where the Benedictine nuns practised a characteristic form of devotion , is the parlour, the only place where the nuns could have contact with the outside world.
In this room, concealed by thick black grating, they were allowed to talk to their relatives.
The room’s floor, preserved in its original state, dates back to the 14th century and is made of terracotta and limestone. It also has geometrically shaped decorations typical of the Arab-Norman period, created by the intersection of several depictions joined together. The main element is the symbolic eight-pointed star repeated in the geometric flooring and which represents the sacred centre par excellence.

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The art of maiolica

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The city palace

The eagle-shaped city

The church and the college

The expansion of space and changing reality

The Palazzo dei due mori

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Church of Madonna della Stella

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

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

A heritage of votive works

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

Religious architecture

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

A casket of precious works

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The Church of St. Francis

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The palace, the town, the church

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The works in the church

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

The Church of St. Benedict

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

A story of rebirth

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The new roads of the city

Luminous sacred spaces

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

The Staircase of Angels

The city within the city

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

A stone garden

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church and the monastery

The Franciscan convent

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

Art in the cathedral

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The Church of St. Paul

One city, three sites

City and nature

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

St. Agatha and the candelore

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The interior and works of art

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

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

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

The interior of the church: space and colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The two churches

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

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

The articulated interior spaces

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The Benedictines’ library