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| Basilica della Collegiata - Catania, Sicily |
Broken, then
Baroque: Triumph over a Sicilian Tragedy
non-fiction research and photos
by Gregory E. Larson, AIA
All was at peace over the Sicilian
landscape on the Sunday evening of January 11, 1693. The fields were in their winter sleep. The farmers and the shopkeepers were at rest,
full of food and time spent with family.
An earthquake had given them a shake two days earlier. Some damage
occurred along the east coast, but it was assumed that the worst was over. They did not know that a stronger quake was
yet to come.
At 9:00 P.M. their world was rocked with
an estimated 7.4 (Richter) magnitude earthquake, centered off the east coast of
Sicily. The quake was so violent, that
in Palermo, over 100 miles west of the epicenter, parents and children,
shopkeepers and laborers, all ran out into the streets in panic. They thought their world was coming to an
end. Sure, there was significant damage
to their city, but what they didn’t know was that the eastern third of Sicily
was destroyed – cities unrecognizalbe, structures leveled. Over seventy cities were destroyed and an
estimated 60,000 people lost their lives.
The ocean surge on the east coast (now known as a tsunami) added to the
destruction.
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| Ancient ruins - Siricusa, Sicily |
Slowly, the plans to rebuild emerged city
by city. At the time, Spain ruled the
island of Sicily. The Viceroy in Madrid
appointed the Duke of Camastra to be responsible for organizing the rebuilding
process. The Duke collaborated with
agricultural aristocrats in Sicily, who were the main economic force behind the
cities and churches. There were immediate issues to resolve in each city and
village. Should the rebuilding occur on
the same spot as the original city?
Should they rebuild in a new location? Gradually, the reconstruction began, but many
of the homeless endured the hardship of living in temporary camps for years
after the earthquake. Many assumed that
God had punished Sicily for various sins.
For the churches, civic buildings and
palaces, the aristocracy decided to use the Baroque style of architecture,
which was already firmly established on the mainland of Italy in the 17th
Century. The original Baroque style was
born out of a desire to break away from the stiff traditions and rules of the
Renaissance period, where building facades seemed too predictable, too static
and plain. The term baroque comes from the Italian word barocco, which means bizarre.
Architects and designers wanted to
add more movement, more feeling of three dimensions and more personality into
the churches and important civic buildings. The architects for the rebuilding of Sicily
took the baroque style to a whole new level – and it is now recognized as
Sicilian Baroque, and yes, some of it seems bizarre and a bit cartoonish, or
whimsical.
Catania, the largest city on the east
coast of Sicily, was totally destroyed.
Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702-1769), a native Sicilian architect, was
trained on the mainland in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. He returned to the island to assist in the
rebuilding process, and was selected to plan the main square and church. Many younger Sicilian architects became
involved in the design process, and their work overlapped, due to the length of
time required to build the stone structures.
Vaccarini’s design for the Catania Cathedral can be described as a
hybrid of Renaissance and Baroque Style.
Overall, the appearance is a bit stiff, but the main façade begins to
show the Baroque elements of balcony and movement in the sculpture, as well as
various colors of stone. Vaccarini is
now considered the father of the Sicilian Baroque style.
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| Cathedral in Catania, Italy |
Many architects who were originally from
Sicily came back for the reconstruction.
They were well-versed in Baroque design, and once they became engrossed
in their work, the Baroque style began to flourish beyond the unusual style
seen on the mainland.
The façade designs of Sicilian Baroque
each have their own personality, but they have very similar elements, such as
balconies, belfries, animated sculpture, curves, and three-dimensional
depth. One of the best examples of a
Sicilian Baroque façade is the Basilica della Collegiata in the City of Catania
on Via Etna. It was designed in the
latter period of Sicilian Baroque (1768) by Stefano Ittar (1730-1789). Ittar arrived in Sicily after Catania’s
reconstruction was well underway. He
assisted in the design work on the Palazzo Biscari, working for Francesco
Battaglia, the main architect for Prince Biscari. Stefano Ittar eventually met
and married Francesco’s daughter, Rosaria Battaglia.
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| Basilica della Collegiata - Catania, Sicily |
Ittar's front elevation of the Basilica della Collegiata exudes many of the Baroque elements
(balcony, belfry, etc.) used in the Sicilian structures. The main façade column bases seem to pierce
the steps, rather than sit atop them, adding to the dynamic quality of the
front of the church.
The palaces of the aristocrats give us an
additional glimpse of the Baroque details.
The balconies on the upper floor of the Palazzo Cosentini in Ragusa Ibla
are constructed of outward-curving iron railings which allowed space for the
women’s billowing skirts. The stone supports
for the balcony are full of grotesque and playful figures ranging from sea
creatures to musicians.
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| Cosentini Palace - Ragusa Ibla, Sicily |
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| Looking up at Cosentini Palace balcony |
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| Balcony detail - Ragusa Ibla, Sicily |
The Church of San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla
is another fine example of Sicilian Baroque style. The architect, Rosario Gagliardi (1700-1770),
was born in Sicily, and amazingly, never left the island. He developed a great understanding for the
elements of Baroque architecture, and designed many churches during the
reconstruction, of which two are located in Ragusa Ibla: the Church of San
Giorgio and the Church of San Giuseppe.
His design for the Church of San Giorgio (1738) includes a daunting entrance
of angled steps, and a façade that blossoms forth with huge oval scrolls and
dynamic statues and details.
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| Church of San Giorgio - Ragusa Ibla, Sicily |
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| Church of San Guiseppe - Ragusa Ibla, Sicily |
The rebuilding process continued for
decades. Many of the elders who lived
through the 1693 earthquake did not experience the final fruition of church
designs nor were they alive at the time the church rebuilding was
complete. But the human spirit and the
Sicilian spirit prevailed, and the reconstruction provided them pride and hope
for a better future beyond the natural tragedy.
What remains today is a magnificent
collection of structures that were the response of the vision of the Sicilian
leaders and designers at the beginning of the 18th century. Many of the structures are now listed on
UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. There is
much to think about when looking at the buildings today – mostly the hardships
and sacrifices endured by the Sicilians through the natural disaster, and the
joy the Sicilians felt when a new church was dedicated. It makes one realize the Sicilians hearts and
minds were stronger than the stone they cut.
Additional Photos:
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| Church detail - Caltigirone, Italy |
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| Church of San Giovanni Battista - Monterosso Almo, Sicily |
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| Church of the Souls of Purgatory - Ragusa Ibla, Sicily |
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| Town square and Cathedral Church - Grammichele, Sicily |
