The Palazzo del Seminario dei Chierici (Palace of the Seminary of the Clerics), also known as the Palazzo dei Chierici is a monumental building located facing the piazza Duomo in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy. It stands aside from the

Cathedral of Sant'Agata Catania Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Catania; Cattedrale di Sant'Agata), dedicated to Saint Agatha, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated ...

, and across the piazza from the

Palazzo degli Elefanti Palazzo degli Elefanti (English: "Elephants Palace") is a historical building in Catania, region of Sicily, southern Italy. It currently houses the city's Town Hall. In the past, the prior building was also known as the Palazzo Senatorio or Logg ...

, which houses city hall. Between these two palaces, the Monument of the Elephant with obelisk is located.

History

In this period a building for training clerics existed adjacent to a Benedictine Monastery in this area, built against the medieval walls of Catania. In 1572, archbishop of Catania, Antonio Faraone, founded a formal seminary, which by 1614 was located in a building here, facing the Senatorial building located where the present Palazzo degli Elefanti rises. The building was incorporated into the Porta Uzeda, which was an opening in the Walls of Charles V. The building was partially damaged during the 29 May 1647 revolt against Spanish authorities. Ultimately, this structure was razed by the

1693 earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on January 11 at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7. ...

that devastated the city. Reconstruction was soon begun under the architect

Alonzo di Benedetto Alonzo is both a given name and a Spanish surname. Notable people with the name include: Mononym *Alonzo (rapper), French singer and hip hop artist, formerly Segnor Alonzo of Psy 4 de la Rime Given name *Alonzo de Barcena, 16th-century Spanis ...

, and continued in 1757 by Francesco Battaglia. In 1757, the institution received a large endowment by Salvatore Ventimiglia, prince of Belmonte, and vicar general to Sicily, which allowed the seminary to grant professors of classical languages, theology, philosophy, mathematics and natural sciences as well as the addition of a publishing house. During the 19th century, many of the buildings here were occupied by a military barracks, restricting the seminary to the Southern wing of the building. A third floor was added by architect Mario Di Stefano in 1866. The seminary building suffered during the bombardments of World War II, prompting the construction of a new seminary at San Giovanni la Punta, completed on 15 August 1951. This building was acquired by the offices of the Comune, and used for offices of the mayoralty. Today it still houses the offices of the treasurer of the city, as well as the Museo diocesano di Catania (Museum of the Diocese).

Description

Like the

Palazzo Tezzano The Palazzo Tezzano is a monumental palace in Piazza Stesicoro, in the center of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The via Etnea, with prominent shops, bisects the Piazza; this palazzo rises at the northwest intersection with this via, across fro ...

found in

Piazza Stesicoro Piazza Stesicoro is a rectangular city square in the historic center of the city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy. The piazza is frequently host to markets. The circumvalent street is bisected by Via Etna and at the eastern end opens to the modern bo ...

, this palace has the distinct contrast between the white stone from Ipsica, and a dark plaster colored with volcanic sand. The large window, framed with elaborate decorations and balconies are characteristic of the

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

of Catania.

Notes

Bibliography

* * Curated by Vittorio Consoli. ''Enciclopedia di Catania''. Catania, Tringale, 1987. * Derived from Italian Wikipedia entry {{coord, 37.5020, 15.0873, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Chierici Catania