All Churches in Ragusa

The Church of San Giorgio, also known as the Duomo di San Giorgio, is a beautiful church in Ragusa Ibla – the ancient center of Ragusa, and one of the most important examples of Baroque architecture in Sicily.   SHORT HISTORY Before the earthquake of 1693, the Church of San Giorgio stood in the eastern part of Ragusa Ibla, near the Hyblean Garden. Today, the only thing left from the ancient church, demolished in 1718, is the Portal of San Giorgio. After the earthquake of 1693, which destroyed almost entirely the historical center of the town, it was decided to built a new church dedicated to Saint George on the place of the ancient Church of San Nicola. However, the building of Ragusa Superiore – the modern part of the city, developed faster, and the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, erected in 1694, became the main Catholic church of Ragusa, to the discontent of the inhabitants of Ragusa Ibla. The project of the Church of San Giorgio was commissioned in 1738 to Rosario Gagliardi, an architect of Noto. The first stone was laid on June 28, 1739, as a plaque on the right side of the staircase reminds us, and Read more [...]

The Church of the Santissimo Trovato is a church in Ragusa, located near the southern border of Ragusa Ibla, adjacent to the Byzantine wall of the ancient city. The church is very close to the Hyblean Garden and the Portal of San Giorgio.   SHORT HISTORY The church, relatively new, was built between 1801 and 1807 by the will of the local people, on the place where it was found the sacred ciborium stolen from the Church of Sant’Antonio. The ciborium (a covered cup designed to hold the consecrated Eucharistic bread in the Christian church) was stolen on March 1, 1801, by a certain Cassarà, who later was captured and imprisioned. The last restoration of the church dates back to 1988.   ARCHITECTURE The church, with a simple construction, has a portal delimited by pilasters that support a triangular pediment resting on a cornice. A second cornice, slightly higher, is the base of a large window also delimited by pilasters and volutes. The third level is represented by the bell gable. The interior has a single nave and does not offer visitors any particular work of art.   HOW TO GET THERE The Church of the Santissimo Trovato is located Read more [...]

The Church of San Vincenzo Ferreri, also known as the Church of the Madonna del Santissimo Rosario, is a deconsecrated church in Ragusa, located in Piazza Giovan Battista Hodierna, near the entrance of the Giardino Ibleo.   SHORT HISTORY The church was founded in 1509 by the friars of the Dominican Order, who also built, at the same time, an adjacent convent which no longer exists. After the earthquake of 1693, both the facade and the interior were rebuilt. Behind the apse of the church, an oratory used as the seat of the confraternity was also built. The church and the convent underwent major transformations during the 20th century. At the beginning of the century, the oratory was demolished to create the avenue inside the Hyblean Garden, which today connects the Church of San Vincenzo Ferreri to the Church of San Giacomo Apostolo. In 2004, restoration works of the interior and the facade were started. From December 2010, the building, with about 140 seats, was used as a public auditorium, for cultural events and conferences.   ARCHITECTURE It is not known whether the current facade was completely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 or the today’s facade is the original Read more [...]

The Church of San Giacomo Apostolo (Saint James the Apostle) is a church in Ragusa, located inside the Hyblean Garden (Giardino Ibleo), in the eastern part of Ragusa Ibla, the ancient center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY The church was built in the 13th or 14th century, probably between 1283 and 1392, by the will of the Chiaramonte family – the Aragonese eagle above the high altar indicates that period. The Confraternity of San Giacomo was associated with the church from the beginning, taking care of its services and functions. Before 1693, the church had three naves, but the earthquake of that year ruined it, and a few years later, the confraternity decided to rebuild it with only one nave. The roof of the church was added in 1705 and, between 1719 and 1720, the interior was decorated with several paintings by Giuseppe Pugliarello and Filippo De Stefano. In 1734, the master Simone Ventura of Chiaramonte was comissioned to realize the decoration of the wooden roof. The current facade was built in 1902 by Giuseppe Pinelli. Today, the church is administered by the same Confraternity of Saint James.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade has three orders, of which Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria delle Scale (Saint Mary of the Steps) is another Baroque church in Ragusa, located at the border between the modern part of the town, Ragusa Superiore, and the ancient center of the city, Ragusa Ibla. The name of the church derives from its location, at the end of the 340 steps that link the two districts of the city.   SHORT HISTORY The church dates back to the Norman period, when it was called Santa Maria delle Cateratte, because it stood on the edge of a ravine. In the 14th century, it was rebuilt in Gothic style by the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Roccadia in Lentini and, after the earthquake of 1693, which caused the central and left aisles to collapse, it was rebuilt in Baroque style. After the earthquake, during the rebuilding, the orientation of the church was changed by 90 degrees, and the primitive apses were transformed into the current portals of the right aisle.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church has three naves and no apse, and the left side portal is actually the original main entrance. On the counterfacade, there is a fresco of San Biagio, Read more [...]

The Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory (Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio) is a Baroque church located in Ragusa Ibla, the historical center of Ragusa.   SHORT HISTORY The church was built on the initiative of the Mazza family in the second half of the 17th century, dedicated to all the Saints and the Souls of Purgatory, and opened for worship on May 6, 1658. It was one of the few churches in Ragusa to withstand the earthquake of 1693, an event which caused around 5,000 deaths and destroyed almost entirely the ancient center of the city. In 1729, the church and the whole neighborhood came under the jurisdiction of the Church of San Giorgio. The bell tower was built in the first quarter of the 18th century, separated from the church, and placed above a stretch of the ancient Byzantine walls of Ragusa. In 1740, due to its small size, the church was rebuilt with a basilica plan with three naves, two chapels and a large presbytery with an apse. In 1757, the facade was finished, but the church was reopened for worship only in 1787, after the completion of the works in the presbytery area.   Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista is the main catholic church in Ragusa, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The church is located in the modern part of the town, known as Ragusa Superiore.   SHORT HISTORY A church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, which stood on the western part of Ragusa Ibla, the ancient town of Ragusa, was seriously damaged by the earthquake of 1693. One year later, on April 15, 1694, the church was rebuilt in the center of Ragusa Superiore, the new town of Ragusa. On August 16, the same year, the church was opened for worship. The short time in which the church was built indicates that the first building was small and inadequate for the needs of the new expanding city district. Therefore, in 1718, a new larger church was begun, under the direction of two architects from Acireale, Giuseppe Recupero and Giovanni Arcidiacono. The new church was solemnly consecrated on May 31, 1778, a ceremony led by the bishop of Syracuse, Giovanni Battista Alagona. In 1783, the dome was built, and covered on the outside with copper foils at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1848, the paving was renewed with stone Read more [...]