Santa Chiara is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church located on Via Garibaldi #100 in the center of the city of

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. The monastery located behind the church presently houses a gallery of modern art.

History and Description

Nuns of the Clarissan order established themselves there in the 16th century, with a donation by Baron Antonio Paternò of his home and belongings, to which was added and endowment by Chiara Statella. The site was adapted into a convent in 1563, but nearly razed by the

1693 Sicily 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. ...

leading to reconstruction using designs by

Giuseppe Palazzotto Giuseppe Palazzotto (1702 – 1764) was an Italian architect, active in Catania, Sicily in a Baroque style. He was employed extensively during the flurry of reconstruction after the 1693 Sicily earthquake which nearly flattened his native city. H ...

. The church and convent were completed by 1760. The three story facade of the church on Via Garibaldi is small and unassuming. On the third floor a three arch loggia allowed the nuns to observe the yearly Procession of Sant'Agata which departed from

Sant'Agata alla Fornace San Biagio, previously called Sant'Agata alla Fornace or ''La Fornace'' or ''Carcara'' is a Neoclassical architecture, Roman Catholic parish church located at the western edge of the Piazza Stesicoro in the quartiere San Biagio della Calcarella, ...

to the

Cathedral of Catania 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 ...

. The interiors are more elaborate, with floors decorated with polychrome marble, and a painted and gold-plated choir stall above the vestibule. There are five altarpieces. The octagonal nave has a large ceiling fresco depicting the ''Triumph of the Clarissan Order'' (1766) by

Olivio Sozzi Olivio may refer to: * Olivio (restaurant), Dutch Michelin starred restaurant People * Olívio Dutra Olívio de Oliveira Dutra (born 10 June 1941 in Bossoroca, Rio Grande do Sul) is a Brazilian politician. He is a founding member of the Wor ...

.Entry in Necrologie of Repubblica

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiara 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Catania