Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

sight
Brightness and light

Colour, light and more colour!
The vault is a riot of colour, capable of making the figures and shapes stand out, and leaving visitors gazing upwards.
As for the altar, it attracts attention thanks to the brilliance and shine of gold, silver and the precious sparkling stones used to decorate it.
The church is a treasure trove of precious jewels.

hearing
A sound to accompany prayer

It’s 1790 and you’re inside the church of St. Benedict, attending one of the services… You can hear something… what is it?
The organ!
With a sound alternating between gentle and low, it accompanies prayer as impressed worshippers celebrate Holy Mass.
Then the bells announce the end of the service.
Their chimes vibrate in the atmosphere and resonate along Via dei Crociferi.

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!