{"id":68081,"date":"2015-07-16T12:31:43","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T11:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=68081"},"modified":"2026-10-13T08:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:08:31","slug":"via-crociferi-in-catania-the-baroque-churches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/via-crociferi-in-catania-the-baroque-churches","title":{"rendered":"Via Crociferi in Catania: the Baroque churches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Via Crociferi<\/strong> is called the “street of churches”, a monumental and emblematic street of Catania, very dense with Baroque architecture, not to be missed during a visit to the city.
In fact, over less than 200 metres, four churches follow one another along with three monasteries, Baroque monuments built after the 1693 earthquake, including civil buildings such as the Villa Cerami at the northern end of the street.
This street was one of the main axes of the post-seismic reconstruction and today constitutes one of the most homogeneous examples of 18th-century Catania Baroque.
It also stands out for its rectilinear plan, which favours the visual perspective of the Baroque fa\u00e7ades, and for the integration of private palaces and cloisters into the urban alignment.<\/p>\n

To the south, it starts from Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi, where the church of the same name stands.<\/p>\n

Powered by GetYourGuide<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

Church of San Francesco d’Assisi in Catania and Palazzo Gravina<\/h2>\n

The history of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi at the Immaculate<\/strong> is linked to the figure of Queen Eleanor of Anjou<\/strong>, wife of Frederick II of Aragon and sister of Saint Louis. There is a plaque recalling that the remains of the queen, who died in 1343, are kept in the church. Furthermore, on an 18th-century canvas, the queen is depicted together with Saint Clare, the founder of the Order of the Poor Clares.
Its elegant Baroque fa\u00e7ade was only completed in 1854, blending elements of late Sicilian Baroque with a Neoclassical portico.
In the vast interior space, the crossing is covered by a painting of a false dome. A beautiful 16th-century altar is preserved there, behind which a large fresco by Battaglia depicts the indulgence of the Porziuncola<\/em> (the pardon of Assisi).
The organ to the right of the altar was used by Vincenzo Bellini during his childhood; he was born in Palazzo Gravina Cruyllas, located just opposite. It was in fact the residence of the composer’s family, today the seat of the museum dedicated to Bellini. <\/p>\n

As you go along the street, you pass under the arch of the Monastery of Saint Benedict, connecting the great abbey to the small abbey.<\/p>\n\n\n