Santa Maria delle Scale, Gothic-Baroque church in Ragusa, Italy
Santa Maria delle Scale is a church located at the intersection between modern and historic Ragusa, featuring three naves that blend Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. The building serves as a physical link between the newer city above and the older district below, creating a passage through different eras of construction.
The church was founded in the 13th century by Cistercian monks and survived the 1693 earthquake before undergoing major reconstruction in the 18th century. During this rebuilding, the structure was rotated 90 degrees and adapted to the new Baroque style.
The interior displays Gothic-Catalan arches decorated with sculptures of celestial beings, plants, and animals alongside a polychrome terracotta altarpiece from 1538. These decorative elements reflect the artistic traditions that communities cherished and maintained throughout the building's life.
The church marks the starting point of a stairway system that connects the modern section of Ragusa to the historic district of Ragusa Ibla. Wear comfortable shoes as the staircases are steep and extensive.
The right nave remains from the original Gothic structure, while the rest was rebuilt in Baroque style following the earthquake. This partial survival of the old construction alongside the new Baroque design clearly shows the two distinct phases in the building's construction history.
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