San Benedetto, Catania
San Benedetto is a church in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Dedicated to St. Benedict of Nursia, it was built from April 1334, then it was destroyed by 1693 Sicily earthquake; only 5 nuns survived the disaster. The church and the monastery were rebuilt between 1708 and 1763 and Giovanni Battista Vaccarini was one of the main architects.
![](../I/Catane_San_Benedetto1.jpg.webp)
The church is part of a complex including also the Badia Maggiore and the Badia Minore, connected by a covered bridge over the road.
The church was also damaged by bombing in World War II and later restored by the architect Armand Dillon.
![](../I/Catane_San_Benedetto2.jpg.webp)
Its most famous feature is the Angel's Staircase (Italian: Scalinata dell'Angelo), a marble entrance stair decorated with statues of angels and surrounded by a wrought iron railings. The entrance door, in wood, has panels with Stories of St. Benedict.
The interior, with a single nave, is home to frescoes by Sebastiano Lo Monaco, Giovanni Tuccari and Matteo Desiderato. The vault and semi-dome were painted Giovanni Tuccari with the History of Saint Benedict and six Allegories surrounding the Triumph of Saint Benedict. The Saint is represented in his traditional iconography, in a festive and cheerful scenario. The high altar is in polychrome marble with hardstone intarsia and bronze panels.[1]
The church is open on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (last entrance).
Sources
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Benedetto (Catania). |
- Rasà Napoli, Giuseppe (1984). Guida alle Chiese di Catania. Catania: Tringale Editore.
References
- Dillon, Armando (1950). La chiesa di san Benedetto a Catania e gli affreschi di Giovanni Tuccari. Catania: a cura del Monastero di San Benedetto.