Catania

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

Via dei Crociferi is a street a little more than one hundred metres long where some of Catania’s major Baroque architecture stands in a line.
Among these is the exquisite church of St. Julian, which is part of the architectural complex of the former Benedictine monastery, a prominent figure in the eventful history of this sacred building.
via dei crociferi arco di ingresso alla via  facciata chiesa frontale
Work on the new church was started by the architect Giuseppe Palazzotto in 1741. Along the road, our gaze cannot avoid dwelling on the street that emphasises the curved shape of the building’s façade. The central point of the church is a large octagonal roof, clearly visible along Via dei Crociferi near the façade of the church.
The elegant front of the religious work of architecture, decorated in white marble, is brought to life by two levels of pilasters and a loggia that hides the large dome behind in an illusory way.
particolare paraste su facciata  facciata chiesa laterale rigonfiamento prospetto
This large octagon, consisting of a compact block of lava stonework, played a prominent role in the panorama of the city before, in contemporary times, new elements were added that now decrease its visibility. There are few sculptural works on the façade, such as the two allegorical female figures above the broken tympanum of the entrance portal, the only direct entry to the church.
The two smaller doors, placed on the sides, lead to private areas of the church, the crypt and the cloistered rooms.
The upper part of the façade is animated by triforas completed by wavy and protruding grilles, from which the nuns would watch the procession of St. Agatha.
particolare portale maggiore sulle sculture femminili particolare trifore su facciata

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

The Palazzo dei due mori

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The Church of Madonna della Stella

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

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

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

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

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

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The church and the monastery

The Church of St. Francis

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

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The works in the church

The church and the college

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The articulated interior spaces

The two churches

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

The interior of the church: space and colour

Altars, saints and sculptural works

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

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

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

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The interior and works of art

A unifying project for the city of Catania

A story of rebirth

The Staircase of Angels

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

The expansion of space and changing reality

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

A stone garden

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The Benedictines’ library

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

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

Luminous sacred spaces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

City and nature

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

Art in the cathedral

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The casket of austerity under the great dome

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

The city palace

The city within the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The eagle-shaped city

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

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

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The art of maiolica

The Church of St. Paul

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

Reconstruction after the earthquake

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

The palace, the town, the church

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

Religious architecture

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The new roads of the city

The Church of St. Benedict

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

One city, three sites

A heritage of votive works

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

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

St. Agatha and the candelore

A casket of precious works

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

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

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Franciscan convent

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