Noto Cathedral - Noto, Sicily - Golden Baroque above the Garden Trees

The warm limestone façade and dome of Noto Cathedral rise above neatly clipped trees, glowing against the blue and cloud-filled Sicilian sky.

Noto Cathedral rises above a line of carefully clipped trees, its warm golden limestone façade, twin towers and great dome catching the Sicilian sunlight. Viewed through the greenery beside Piazza Municipio, the Cattedrale di San Nicolò provides one of the most distinctive architectural sights in the historic centre of Noto. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the cathedral was constructed as part of the rebuilding of Noto following the catastrophic earthquake of 1693, when the old city was abandoned and an entirely new town was created several kilometres away. Its imposing façade combines Baroque and classical elements, while the monumental staircase below creates the dramatic elevated setting for which the cathedral is famous. On 13 March 1996, a major structural collapse destroyed the central nave, right nave and dome. Following an extensive reconstruction and restoration project, the cathedral reopened in 2007. Today it once again dominates Piazza Municipio and forms part of Noto's extraordinary Late Baroque townscape, included within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto.