Monastero di Santa Lucia (Monastery of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...

) is an architectural complex in the town of

Adrano Adrano (; Adernò until 1929; ), ancient '' Adranon'', is a town and in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily. It is situated around northwest of Catania, which was also the capital of the province to which Adrano belo ...

, in the

Province of Catania The province of Catania (; ) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of and a total population of about 1,116,917 as of 31 December 2014. Historically known also as ...

, region of Sicily, Italy. The former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery currently serves as an elementary school, and attached to it is the Giovanni Verga high school. In front of the facade is a polygenal public park known as either Giardino della Vittoria or Villa Comunale. The monastery of Santa Lucia was founded in 1157 by Adelasia, the granddaughter of the Norman Count Ruggero. Her endowment allowed poor young girls to enter the monastery without requiring a dowry for sustenance. The monastery owned surrounding farmlands. At the time, this was located outside the medieval city walls, near the church of the Madonna della Consolazione. The monastery was expanded in 1596, but much was rebuilt, including the central baroque church in the late 18th century. The façade has three orders. Two bell towers rise on the sides with quadrangular domes.The design of the church is attributed to

Stefano Ittar Stefano Ittar (March 15, 1724 – January 18, 1790) was a Polish-Italian architect. Biography Ittar was born in Owrucz (then in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, now in Ukraine), where his father, a member of one of Italy's aristocratic f ...

. Inside, the interior was composed of a single elliptical nave with a dome. A painting depicting ''Saint Lucy'' (1843) is attributed to Giuseppe Rapisardi. The apse paintings, the decorations of the vault, and the paintings on the first altar on the left and on the second altar on the right are attributed to the school of

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 W ...

. The paintings in the dome, framed by elegant stuccoes, depict the ''Assumption of the Virgin'' and are attributed to

Vito D'Anna Vito D'Anna (14 October 1718 – 13 October 1769) was an Italian painter, considered the most prominent painter of Palermitan rococo and one of the most important artists of Sicily. Biography He was the father of Alessandro D'Anna, the brother- ...

. In the spandrels, are depicted the four doctors of the church. The apse depict the four evangelists and the ''Transfiguration of Christ''.Comune of Adrano
entry on monastery.

References

Bibliography

* * * * Scalisi, Lina, ''Obbedientissime ad ogni ordine. Tra disciplina e trasgressione: il monastero di Santa Lucia in Adrano secoli XVI-XVIII'', Editore Sanfilippo. Catania 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucia Adrano Benedictine monasteries in Italy Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan City of Catania Saint Lucy