1. Santa Luca Alla Badia Church

Santa Luca Alla Badia Church
Siracusa, Sicily, Italy

The church of Santa Lucia alla Badia is a church in Syracuse , located in Piazza Duomo and dedicated to the patron saint of Syracuse.

Originally the site of a monastery of the XV century , was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 , and the reconstruction is due to the Mother Superior of the Sisters Cistercians between 1695 and 1703 , the architect Luciano Caracciolo directed the work and from which the project has also arisen.

Church Front Entrance

"The façade , previously on the narrow Via Picherali that leads to the Aretusa spring , and now facing the square, has two overlapping orders separated by the trabeation with a balcony fitted with a wrought iron railing.

"The lower order is characterized by the presence of the baroque portal in the center, framed by spiral columns that support the pediment decorated with symbols of the martyrdom of the Saint, on whose sides there are Spanish royal coats of arms. Pseudo- Ionian style pilasters , are part of the lower order of the façade

"In the higher order, there are still more slender, pseudo- Corinthian pilasters , inspired by the Rococo style .

The façade reaches a total height of about 25 m. On the top there is a jagged girdle with putti heads and the cross, currently removed as being unsafe.

"The interior has a single nave decorated by four Baroque altars of 1705 , in the vault are the frescoes of 1783 representing the Triumph of Saint Lucia . The presbytery has a dome roof on the top of the temple.

"In the apse, behind the high altar , there is the large painting of the "Burial of Saint Lucia" painted in 1608 by Caravaggio , in his Syracusan residence; the painting, originally on the altar of the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro , after a series of important restorations, was first exhibited at the Palazzo Bellomo gallery , before being placed in the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia.

Artist	Caravaggio
Year	1608

                               (Link 1.)

"Burial of Saint Lucy is a painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio. It is located in the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia located on the Piazza Duomo in Syracuse, Sicily." (Link 2.)

Artist of "Burial of St. Lucy"

"According to The Golden Legend, Saint Lucy had bestowed her wealth on the poor, in gratitude for the miraculous healing of her mother. Denounced as a Christian, she refused to recant, offered her chastity to Christ, and was sentenced to be dragged to a brothel. Miraculously, nothing could move her from the spot where she stood. She was pierced by a knife in the throat and, where she fell, the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in Syracuse was built. " (Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy.  
Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_of_St._Lucy_(Caravaggio)
Link 2: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Santa_Lucia_alla_Badia

                                                          

                                                                        Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)