Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Once inside the church your eye is driven upwards, attracted by the majestic dome decorated in 1842 by Catanese painter Giuseppe Rapisardi. The fresco depicts St. Beryl, the city’s third patron saint , as St. Peter gives him the task of founding the Catanese church.
If you lower your gaze you will then see the gigantic windows, which fill the interior with light, followed by the round-bottomed grilles that allowed the nuns to attend celebrations in the church, and finally the four chapels with the altars.
The first and second of the four altars feature two of the oldest artworks, probably transferred from the old convent: a 14th-century panel depicting a Crucifixion and a painting with St. Anthony the Abbot by Pietro Abadessa from 1643. On the third altar, the first to the right of the entrance, is the painting by Olivio Sozzi from Catania. On the other side there is a sculptural group that represents the Crucifixion, with: Our Lady of Sorrows, John and Mary Magdalene.
Last but not least, we come to the main altar .
The uniqueness of this altar lies in its veritable status as architecture and not mere sculpture. It was created by the sculptor Giovambattista Marino based on a design attributed to Vaccarini .

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

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

A new site for a new church

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

A new site for a new city

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

A colourful floor

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation