The balcony over Catania’s Baroque
Included in the UNESCO listing of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto in 2002, the church was originally built in 1612 and, after the earthquake of 1693, rebuilt between 1735 and 1767.
Its façade was designed by the famous architect Giovan Battista Vaccarini and has a convex form, defined by the sinuous movement that is characteristic of Sicilian Baroque.
The dome, the first to be raised during the reconstruction of the city, dates to 1767 and is now one of the most admired panoramic viewpoints over Catania’s historic centre. From here, the view extends not only across Piazza Duomo, but also to nearby Via Crociferi, Castello Ursino, and as far as Le Ciminiere, the former nineteenth-century sulfur-processing district of the city.
The church’s rich interior decoration was completed in 1783.
Female Benedectine Order
Until 1866, the year in which the religious orders were suppressed and their property confiscated, the church belonged to a Benedictine convent.
The nuns spared no expense in building the monastery, which was enlarged compared to the original structure, and especially in the church, which was adorned with gilded stucco, paintings and a fine carved and gilded wooden ceiling.
At that time, the monastery was home to 27 nuns, as well as the servants and lay women, who continued to live in part of the building until the death of the last nun in 1929.
Today, the church remains both a place of worship and a cultural venue.
Elegance and
Baroque Art
Tickets
Free entry to the church
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Ticket office at the Abbey of Sant’Agata.
Tour of the Abbey Terrace and Dome + Churches of the Holy Trinity, St. Maria dell’Aiuto and House of Loreto and St. Rita
€7.00
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For tourist information:
(+39) 327 1352519
