Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Scicli
The Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Scicli is a precious example of the Baroque of the city. Located on the right side of the Town Hall, the church was annexed to the Benedictine monastery, which was demolished in the early twentieth century to make way for the Town Hall.
It was built between 1760 and 1765 even if the works lasted for several years: the last phase of the internal decoration was carried out in 1854.
The façade of the church is very projecting on the street, probably also due to to the placement in a confined space, and reveals the imposing characters of the Baroque. The concave-convex facade is divided into three orders. The first order, marked by Ionic columns, has an entrance portal preceded by a staircase that follows the movement of the facade. The second order has a wrought iron jalousie, which recalls the style of the railings of the balconies of the neighboring buildings. The interior has an elliptical plan covered by a dome. The church is equipped with a pipe organ from 1841 by the organ builder Salvatore Andronico Battaglia from Palermo.
Among the works kept in the church, of particular value is a painting of Spanish origin dating back to the seventeenth century depicting the "Christ of Burgos".
Since 1918 the church has kept the remains of numerous soldiers who died during the First World War.
