San Benedetto, Catania, Baroque church along Via Crociferi, Catania, Italy
San Benedetto is a baroque church in Catania with a marble-covered facade that faces Via Crociferi. Inside, painted scenes cover the ceiling and dome, and sculptural elements fill the side chapels and connecting rooms.
A first church on this site was founded in 1334 but was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake that leveled much of Catania. Rebuilding began shortly after under the influence of architects who shaped the new baroque face of the city.
San Benedetto is dedicated to Saint Benedict, whose image appears in paintings and sculptures throughout the interior. The building was once part of a Benedictine monastery, and that monastic origin still shapes the way its rooms are laid out.
The church stands on Via Crociferi in central Catania, a street lined with other baroque buildings that can be visited on the same walk. Entry is reached by climbing an external staircase, so sturdy footwear makes the approach more comfortable.
The external staircase is decorated with marble angel figures and wrought iron railings that turn the approach to the entrance into a work of art in itself. This makes the staircase one of the rare cases in Sicilian baroque where the decorative program begins before you even step inside.
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