Catania

The colours of the cathedral

The contrast of colours offered by the cathedral’s façade is the result of specific choices by its architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini .

The cathedral of Sant'Agata
The cathedral of Sant’Agata overlooks the wide Piazza Duomo from which it is physically divided by a balustrade. After passing there is a churchyard to cross before you can access the interior of the basilica. The exterior has a facade that is divided into three floors: in the lower part are placed the main portal and the two sides, surmounted by large oval windows; in the center of the second floor there is a niche with the statue of Saint Agatha and the angels; closes the third and last floor closed by a triangular tympanum. For the facade the materials chosen were white limestone and gray lava stone. Together they create on the facade a geometric game where white often creates a frame around the black. In other cases the white highlights some architectural elements such as the capital or the base of the columns.

Grey lava stone and white marble were used, which, by alternating their use, bestow liveliness upon the façade. The façade is split into three levels: in the lowest part there are the main portal and two lateral portals, each surmounted by large oval windows; on the second level, in a niche , on a blue background with red beams, there is a white statue of St. Agatha and the angels; finally, a triangular tympanum completes the third level.
Cattedrale di Sant'Agata : foto prospetto ravvicinata Statua di Sant'Agata nella nicchia
Colour also features inside the church. At the entrance, two pairs of red columns welcome visitors and a marble floor in various colours (red, green, yellow and white) leads worshippers to the altar.foto dall'ingresso verso l'altare, comprese coppie di colonneThe church has a Latin cross plan and is divided into three naves by large limestone pillars with a grey lava stone base. This adds brightness to the whole room, which is amplified by light coming in through the windows of the nave.
At the end of the church you can admire the decorations on the main apse by painter Giovanni Battista Corradini, who painted the Trionfo di Sant’Agata (Triumph of St. Agatha).

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

The city of museums

Between white and black

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

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

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

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

Prominent façade

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A city in colour

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony