Tag: Baroque 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 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 [...]