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.

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

The internal colours

A talking palace

The city of museums

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new church

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

One city, three sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom