Ragusa

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento (Most Blessed Sacrament), to the right of the main apse is marvellous, a veritable triumph of colours and materials. Colourful elements welcome worshippers at the entrance and form the basis of the entire chapel’s decoration.

zoom La cappella del Santissimo Sacramento
La cappella del Santissimo Sacramento

The polychrome polychrome altar immediately attracts the attention of passers-by. Red, green, white and gold are featured in the aedicula , where the painting of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was placed in the 19th century.
The wall decorations, the stuccoes , the gold and the blue background embellish the interior of the chapel and transport worshippers to a supernatural dimension.

foto dettaglio cappella ss sacramento foto dettaglio cappella ss sacramento
Using relief, the chapel recounts some of the most important moments in Christ’s life such as the Supper at Emmaus, carved in marble and inserted in the lower part of the altar in a medallion, and other stucco depictions placed at the sides of the altar.
These show the Offering of Melchizedek, a very important figure in the Old Testament who offers bread and wine to God in the name of Abraham, and the Last Supper in imitation of the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, now kept in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

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

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

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

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church