Caltagirone

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

hearing
Listening was important

With a little imagination you can return to 1800 when the church was still used by the nuns and you could listen to the liturgical celebrations.
Worshippers and the nuns attended mass. But there was a problem!
The nuns could not be seen by anyone because they lived in seclusion.
So how did they attend mass? Galleries, like a sort of box seat, were built with louvre blinds (grilles), behind which they could watch the celebrations without being seen.

touch
Touch to discover

Touching objects is one of our instincts and gives us an immediate connection to what is in front of us.
Touching the façade of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) would help us understand the material’s hardness, the stone’s temperature and the porosity of the surface (smooth or rough), giving us a great deal of information in a very short time.
When comparing this information with other objects, we uncover the differences between one material and another.
The maiolica tiles on the floor of Santa Chiara are colder and much smoother to the touch than the façade. The wood of the galleries, on the other hand, is warmer than the sandstone façade and the maiolica floor and balustrade.

sight
Antependium

The alter area hides a masterpiece: the antependium.
Situated in the front part of the altar, the artists took inspiration from Renaissance architecture for the decoration.
The result was a splendid scenographic effect, amplified by the use of mirrors and embellished with materials such as amber and wood covered with silver sheets, then worked to imitate gold.
The light that hits it creates wonderful reflections that illuminate the room. foto edificio a specchi

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

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

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

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

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A new site for a new church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

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

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras