Badia di Sant'Agata

The Badia di Sant'Agata is a Baroque church on Via Vittorio Emanuele II 182, beside Piazza Duomo in the centre of Catania, in eastern Sicily. It was designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, the architect most associated with the rebuilding of the city after the earthquake of 1693. It replaced an earlier church and convent dating from 1620 that collapsed in that earthquake. The Badia belonged to a convent of Benedictine nuns, and the church was built in the 18th century as part of the reconstruction of the piazza. Its shape is distinctive, with a domed plan that gives it a prominent silhouette next to the cathedral, and the dome is one of the high viewpoints over the roofs of the old city. The interior is decorated with marble-stucco statues dating from 1782, which reflect the late Baroque taste for white stucco figures set against coloured marbles. The architectural character is a graceful, curved Baroque design built in pale stone, contrasting with the darker lava masonry used elsewhere in Catania. Visitors can enter the church and, by schedule, the dome, from which there are views over Piazza Duomo, the cathedral dome and, on clear days, towards Etna and the sea. Dome access is by arrangement and the price varies by source, so a phone call to +39 348 7967711 is recommended. The church follows a ceremonial rather than a museum approach, and its restoration history includes repairs to the dome and stucco work. The building remains an important element of the visual set piece formed by Piazza Duomo, with the cathedral, the elephant fountain and the town hall. Visitors should allow around 45 minutes including the dome climb, and should be prepared for narrow stairs.