Monastero di San Nicolò l'Arena - Catania, Italy - Abbeys, Convents and Monasteries on Waymarking.com

(All information here is taken from wikipedia)

The monastery complex is located in the historical centre of the city of Catania, with the church of San Nicolò l'Arena. It shows architectonical integration of many styles through different centuries. Although the monastery was founded in the 16th century, it was modified by two natural disasters in the 17th century. In 1669 the Etna eruption surrounded the city of Catania, widening the coast for more than 1 km, and the monastery too. So the monastery was not destroyed by the lava but the area around was completely modified by a lava bench 12 meters high.

In 1693 the earthquake of Val di Noto destroyed the entire east coast of Sicily and Catania. The monastery was terribly damaged and the only floor that survived was the basement.

In 1702 the rebuilding started and lasted until 1866 (when the new Reign of Italy confiscated the monastery). The original monastery was rebuilt on the top of the latter, and they added a new cloister (the eastern cloister) and a new area (the large part designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini) on the top of the lava bench.

In 1977 the monastery was donated to the University of Catania, which restored the entire structure; in 1984 Giancarlo De Carlo started to design the entire restoration work.

Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: Monastero di San Nicolò l'Arena Address: Piazza Dante Alighieri, 32 Catania, Italy Religious affiliation: Benedictine Date founded/constructed: 1558 Web Site: [Web Link] Status of Use: Converted to Other Use

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/13/2023 icemac visited it