San Pietro Cathedral, Modica, Baroque cathedral in Modica, Italy
San Pietro Cathedral in Modica is a church building constructed in Sicilian Baroque style, with a monumental staircase leading to an ornate facade. The interior divides into three aisles and holds frescoes depicting biblical scenes throughout its walls.
The first structures on this site appeared in the early 1300s, and the building underwent multiple reconstructions over the centuries. Royal decree granted it cathedral status during the era of Spanish rule.
The church was the centre of a centuries-long rivalry with San Giorgio, the counts of Modica's church: the two parishes' factions, Giorgesi and Pietresi, clashed during processions, sometimes with stone-throwing. A royal decree of 1757 fixed the territorial boundaries. Inside, the Cappella Mazara, next to the baptismal font, now serves as the parish museum, displaying chalices, monstrances, paintings and statues from the 16th century.
The facade is reached by a monumental staircase lined with statues of the twelve apostles, so the approach is on foot and stepped. The campanile, a quadrangular tower attached to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, is unfinished: it lacks its planned dome and holds four bells of different makes in its four arches.
The bell tower attached to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is unfinished: it lacks its planned dome, though the space for it was built into the structure. Four arches hold bells of differing makes. The tower dominates the view of Modica's lower town.
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