Church of Sant’Agata

The Church of Sant’Agata is a Baroque church in Noto dedicated to Saint Agatha, located in Via Raffaele Trigona, about 350 meters away from the Cathedral of San Nicolò.

The church, now deconsecrated, was the only church dedicated to Saint Agatha – the Martyr Saint of Catania, in the entire province of Syracuse.

SHORT HISTORY

Although is the oldest church in Noto, this does not mean very old, because the whole city was rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1693.

The church was built at the beginning of the 18th century on a project by Rosario Gagliardi, and consecrated in 1710.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The church stands on top of a scenic staircase, with an interesting parvis paved with lava stone and river pebbles at its base.

The facade of the church has an elegant rectangular shape, and is characterized by its beautiful portal. The portal is surmounted by a triangular architrave framed by a double order of Ionic columns that support the central entablature. The central window, framed by precious garlands carved in bas-relief, is surmounted by a decorated tympanum.

The interior, with a single nave, has the vault decorated with polychrome stuccoes, together with the wonderful fresco by the painter Costantino Carasi depicting the Triumph of Saint Agatha.

The beautiful High Altar is built in dark marble, above which is placed the canvas with the Martyrdom of Sant’Agata, also by Carasi.

Noteworthy are the frescoes and stuccos that adorn the apse and the dome of the presbytery. On the side walls, there are four elegant altars in which as many 18th-century paintings were placed, now preserved elsewhere because the church is closed for a while.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of Sant’Agata is located about 1.6 kilometers away from the Noto railway station. To find the church on foot, use the map below.