The Cathedral of San Nicolò, dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, is the beautiful Baroque cathedral of Noto, located at the top of a wide staircase, on the northern part of Piazza del Municipio (Town Hall Square). SHORT HISTORY The construction of the church began in 1694, one year after the terrible earthquake of Val di Noto, which completely destroyed the ancient Noto, located about 8 kilometers north of the current city. The church was completed in 1703, and it was opened for worship in a solemn ceremony. In the second half of the 18th century, the original unfinished facade of the church, built by Rosario Gagliardi, was remodeled by the architect Vincenzo Sinatra, and completed at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century, a new dome was built to replace the previous one, deteriorated by the earthquakes from the 18th century, giving the cathedral its current appearance. After the earthquake of December 13, 1990, the church suffered some structural damage, but no restoration measures were taken. On the evening of March 13, 1996, due to a serious defect of the pillars of the central nave, the first of the right-hand pylons that supported the dome Read more [...]
Tag: Baroque in Noto
Church of Montevergine
The Church of Montevergine is a Baroque church in Noto, located in Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, about 150 meters away from the Cathedral of San Nicolò. The church is situated at the upper end of Via Corrado Nicolaci, the street which hosts every year the famous Infiorata di Noto. SHORT HISTORY The church was begun in 1695 on a project by the architect Vincenzo Sinatra, and was completed and opened for worship in 1762. ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church has a concave facade, without Baroque decorations, characterized by the measured geometry of its twin bell-towers and by a short staircase leading to the portal, bordered by two quadrangular columns. Inside, the church has a single nave, surrounded by Corinthian half-columns that give the whole interior a classical style. The 18th-century majolica floor of the nave is still intact. Of particular value is the Baroque central altar, in polychrome marble, surmounted by an artistic ciborium, rich in decorations. The paintings in the vault and in the four side altars are attributed to Costantino Carasi. One of them, the Deposition, is dated back to 1712, and the others depict the Marriage of the Virgin, the Madonna of the Read more [...]
Church of the Madonna del Carmine
The Church of the Madonna del Carmine (Our Lady of Carmel) is a Baroque church in Noto, located in Via Ruggero Settimo, about 500 meters away from the Cathedral of San Nicolò. SHORT HISTORY The church was built by Corradino Randazzo and Vincenzo Sortino on a project by Rosario Gagliardi. The building was completed in 1743. ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade of the church, slightly concave towards the inside, has a single portal, surmounted by a large coat of arms of the Carmelites, supported by two angels. Above the coat of arms, there is a large semicircular architrave. The entablature is supported by four pillars in Corinthian style. The second order has a central window, with two pillars on the sides. The lateral pinnacles are decorated with geometric figures carved in bas-relief. The third order is represented by a bell-gable consisting of three arched niches surmounted by pinnacles. Inside, the church has a single nave decorated with fine polychrome stuccoes and frescoed geometric and floral figures. On both sides of the nave, there are splendid Baroque altars containing beautiful works of art, including 18th-century paintings. The most beautiful part of the church is undoubtedly the presbytery, with the Read more [...]
Church of San Domenico
The Church of San Domenico is a church in Noto, located in via Matteo Raeli, overlooking Piazza XVI Maggio, about 280 meters away from the Cathedral of San Nicolò. The church, dedicated to Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, is one of the most important and best preserved examples of Baroque architecture in Noto, and one of the most significant masterpieces of the late Baroque in the entire south-eastern Sicily. SHORT HISTORY The Church of San Domenico was built at the behest of the Dominican friars on a project by the architect Rosario Gagliardi, between 1703 and 1727. ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade of the church has two orders, the lower one in Doric style, and the upper in Ionic style. The central part of the facade has a convex shape and protrudes towards the street. The interior, well preserved, is structured on an elongated Greek cross plan, with three naves and five domes richly decorated with stuccoes, and side altars in polychrome marble with 18th-century paintings, among which the Madonna del Rosario by Vito D’Anna stands out. The third altar on the left aisle has a Crucifix and various marble panels with scenes from the Read more [...]
Church of Santissimo Salvatore
The Church of Santissimo Salvatore (Most Holy Saviour) is a church in Noto, located between the Cathedral of San Nicolò and the Church of San Francesco d’Assisi all’Immacolata. The church is part of a larger complex, along with the Monastery of SS. Salvatore and the Episcopal Seminary. SHORT HISTORY The construction of the church began in 1767 under the supervision of the architect priest Andrea Gigante, to replace an old church dating back to the beginning of the 18th century. At his death, with the church unfinished, the initial project was partially modified by D. Antonio Mazza, and the church was completed and consecrated in 1802. ART AND ARCHITECTURE The decorative cycle of the interior is one of the most significant examples of the Sicilian cultural transition phase between the late Baroque and Neoclassicism. Began in 1794 and completed two years later, the interior is the result of the pictorial interventions of Ermenegildo Martorana from Palermo and those in stucco of Giovanni Gianforma. Among the frescoes, we can find the Pentecost, Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus and the Appearance of Three Mysterious Men to Abraham. The paintings found on the side altars are also of particular Read more [...]