Sant'Agostino di Catania

Chiesa di Sant' Agostino Church

Catania, Sicily, Italy

"The church of Sant'Agostino was built in the central area of ​​the city. A splendid example of the Catanese Baroque, it was built in 1615 on the design and work of G. Palazzotto, who kept faith with his architectural style, making a valuable contribution to the city of Catania. It was originally dedicated to St. James and only later was dedicated to St. Augustine. In 1637 the Augustinian friars, to approach the inhabited center, flanked their convent to the building, moving from a place near the church of S. Domenico, outside the urban nucleus.

Entrance

"Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, the church has a single nave plan and a baroque façade. The interior is embellished by the ancient high altar, made of marble with wooden Crucifix. Then there are six side chapels with marble altars, adorned with statues depicting St. Augustine, St. Heart, St. Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Fatima, works of Giuseppe Stuflesser from Ortisei.

The entrance to the Church, raised above the road surface, has four columns in Corinthian style and a symmetry between the lower and upper part of the building. At the top we find a window grafted on columns that facilitates the entry of sunlight into it. On the outer margins there are two statues depicting Saint Augustine who wins the heretics and St. Thomas of Villanova who gives alms to the poor.

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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in Italy.

Link 1: https://www.google.ca/search?q=Chies+S.Agostina,+G.+Pallazzotto,+sicily&rlz=1C1KYPB_enCA770CA770&tbm

Link 2: http://www.cassiciaco.it/navigazione/monachesimo/chiese/italia/sicilia/catania.html

                                                                         Prayer

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

Chiesa  Di San Leonardo

Chiesa  Di San Leonardo

Bergamo, Italy

"Bergamo ... is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Milan, and about 30 km (19 mi) from Switzerland, 

"With a population of around 120,000, Bergamo is the fourth-largest city in Lombardy. 

"The city of Bergamo is composed of an old walled core, known as Città Alta("Upper Town"), nestled within a system of hills, and the modern expansion in the plains below. The upper town is encircled by massive Venetian defensive systems that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 9 July 2017.

"Bergamo is the second most visited city in Lombardy after Milan" (Link 1.)

Sanctuary and Altar

"The oldest church in lower Bergamo, was built at the beginning of the year one thousand, fairly contained internally. Although devoid of relevant works it contains four small altars and six beautiful affreschi.

Sanctuary Side Altar

"While we were "shooting" in the center of the lower city we found ourselves right in front of this church built in 1017 AD. 

"In 1171 the church became the property of the Crociferi and was used to accommodate sick and pilgrims until the mid 1600s, when the order was dissolved. 
At the end of the seventeenth century it became the Somaschi family who were the owners of the church until the end of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century it was donated to the parish church dedicated to Saint Alexander and was made a subsidiary church.

Sanctuary Side Altar

"It is the oldest church in the city and is dedicated to the protector of prisoners. It is not easy to identify it. Inside a single nave with 4 small altars on both sides.... 6 beautiful frescoes on the ceiling, .

Church Sign

"Change of religious orders has been sold to the parish of St. Alexander at the beginning of the nineteenth century and became a subsidiary. Of the ancient church there are the fourteenth-century portal, the rose window from the fifteenth century and the side walled windows that were discovered during a restoration. The most recent interior preserves some paintings even if others were stolen in the past centuries. "(Link 2)

Church Poster
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Photos: Taken by RW  in Oct. 2018 with Iphone while travelling in Italy.

Link 1:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamo
Link 2: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187830-d5485546-Reviews-Chiesa_di_San_Leo

                                                                         Prayer

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

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.)

Chiesa San Cristoforo

Chiesa San Cristoforo
Catania, Sicily, Italy

Church Sign

"It was raised in the Middle Ages in 1300 and was rebuilt in 1700 following the collapse due to the earthquake of 1693. The upper part of the façade is simple where you can see a central window. The portal instead, is characterized by a frame full of floral elements of Baroque style, above the portal there is the bust of San Cristoforo. The only news we have of this Church is that its shape is rectangular, for many years it is closed to worship. After being closed for about ten years, in June 2015, at the behest of Father Rosario Andrea Lo Bello, the Church of San Cristoforo has been reopened."(Link 1.)

Sanctuary

Sanctuary Altar

Sanctuary Wall Art

Sanctuary Wall Art

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Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy.  
Link 1: https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.ortigia.it/contenuti/chiese/381-chiesa-di-san-cristofo

                                                          

                                                                        Prayer

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

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

Syracusa, Sicily, Italy

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

"The basilica Madonna delle Lacrime sanctuary is a minor basilica and Marian shrine erected in memory of the miraculous tearing of a plaster effigy depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary , placed at the bedside of the Iannuso spouses at their humble home in via degli Orti in Syracuse , in 1953 .

In 2002, John Paul II raised the sanctuary to the dignity of a minor basilicawith the name of "basilica sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime"

Diagram and Description of Church

"According to tradition, the miraculous event was repeated from 29 August to 1 September 1953 in the general emotion of an immense multitude of faithful, in the house of the Iannuso spouses. Collected the tears were subjected to a scientific analysis according to which they would be human tear liquid. The devotion that followed was of enormous proportions. The small effigy of the Madonna delle Lacrime , first provisionally admitted to the nearby Euripide square from 1953 to 1968, was placed inside the sanctuary , in the current crypt and remained there from 1968 to 1994, before being moved inside the upper temple of the Sanctuary.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary Altar

"The work was designed in 1957 by French architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat following an international competition announcement but the structural works are by engineer Riccardo Morandi ^[1] . The construction began in 1966: ...

"The construction was completed after about 28 years and the sanctuary was consecrated, inaugurated and dedicated to the Madonna delle Lacrimeon 6 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II ...

Interior  of Sanctuary Spire

"The structure is subject to various interpretations. The architects set out to structurally implement the concept of the elevation of humanity to God . In fact, the plant with its circularity wants to represent humanity that reaches out to God. Other meanings attributed are those of: beacon, identifiable with Mary that leads to the port that is Jesus; tent, within which the Mother welcomes her children to lead them to the Father; lily turned upside down, finally a tear that comes down from above seen in the dynamics of the impact on the ground." (Link.)

*****

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 

Link:  https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_santuario_Madonna_delle_Lacrime (translation)

                                                                          Prayer

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

Catania Train Station Chapel

Train Station Chapel
Catania, Sicily, Italy

Catania Centrale

Location within Sicily (Link.)

"Catania Centrale is the main railway station of the Italian city of Catania, in Sicily. Along with Palermo Centrale, Messina Centrale and Syracuse it is one of the most important stations of its region. It is managed by the Ferrovie dello Stato, the national rail company of Italy.

Entrance to Train Chapel

"The station was inaugurated on 24 June 1866. One century later it was upgraded and renewed due to the electrification of the Messina-Catania line.

Catania Centrale is located close to the Port of Catania and by the sea. It has a railway depot and a link to the port. The station building has two floors and a portico and is protected by the national cultural heritage.

The station is electrified and served by regional trains, by a metro line and by the Circumetnea railway. For long distance transport there are InterCity and Express trains to Rome, Turin, Milan and Venice, linking it also with Genoa, Naples, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and other cities." (Link.)

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Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catania_Centrale_railway_station

                                                                          Prayer

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