Caltanissetta Cathedral, Baroque cathedral in Caltanissetta, Italy
Caltanissetta Cathedral is a Baroque church sitting at the heart of the city of the same name in central Sicily. It is built on a Latin cross plan with three naves divided by fourteen arches and topped by a large cupola above the crossing.
Work on the cathedral started in 1570, driven by the local community, and the building was ready enough for the first services to take place in 1622. The long construction period reflects how central the project was to the town's sense of identity during those decades.
The frescoes covering the interior walls and ceiling were painted by Flemish artist Guglielmo Borremans and his son Luigi in the 18th century and are still clearly visible today. Their northern European style stands out in a Sicilian setting, giving the interior a character that feels different from most local churches.
The cathedral stands on Piazza Garibaldi, the main square of the old town, and is easy to reach on foot from most of the historic center. The Church of San Sebastiano is right across the square, so both buildings can be visited one after the other without any extra walking.
Each of the fourteen arches inside carries its own artwork showing a figure from the Old Testament, turning the load-bearing structure into a kind of picture story running through the whole building. This link between the architecture and the painted program is rare among Baroque churches of this size in Sicily.
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