Explore Ragusa

Ragusa Cathedral is the Baroque church of St John the Baptist in the upper town of Ragusa, Sicily. After the 1693 earthquake destroyed the old church in Ragusa Ibla, a larger one was begun here in 1718 by master builders from Acireale. Its wide limestone facade stands on a raised terrace, and it became a cathedral in 1950.

Santa Maria dell'Itria is a church in Ragusa Ibla, first recorded in 1391 as a house of the Knights of Malta in the former Jewish quarter. Rebuilt in 1629–1639 and given its Baroque form in 1739, it is known for the dome of its bell tower, clad in blue ceramic tiles. Inside, ten stone columns divide three naves lined with carved altars of 1736–1745.

The Chiesa del Purgatorio is a Baroque church on Piazza della Repubblica, at the entrance to Ragusa Ibla, dedicated to the souls in purgatory. The present building was begun in 1740 and its three-tier facade, reached by a steep stairway, was finished in 1757. Inside are an altarpiece of the souls in purgatory by Francesco Manno and a cornice carved with skulls.

The Duomo of San Giorgio is the mother church of Ragusa Ibla in south-east Sicily, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to a design Rosario Gagliardi drew up in 1738; its façade was finished in 1775. The tower-like façade, with the belfry built in, rises above a wide flight of steps, with a neoclassical dome behind. It appears in the TV series Inspector Montalbano.