Badia di Sant'Agata

Badia di Sant'Agata or Abbey of St Agatha refers to an 18th-century Roman Catholic church and attached female convent located on Via Vittorio Emanuele #182 in the center of Catania, region of Sicily, Southern Italy.

Reconstruction was slow, initially to house the cloistered nuns at the site, a fence had to be erected, and they found shelter among the ruins.

In 1720, a legacy of 4000 scudi by Giuseppe Moncada led to construction beginning in 1736, under the designs and guidance of Giovanni Battista Vaccarini.

Like many of the monasteries in town, special grills both metal and balconies with stone fretwork allowed the cloistered nuns to see street life and the numerous religious processions.

Inside the church a metal grill behind the main altar has a viewing balcony that allowed the nuns to attend mass, while sheltered from the public.

View of the facade and dome of the Badia, on the right of the photo is a portion of Catania Cathedral
Statue of St Agatha at main altar. Behind is the nuns viewing area with a metal grid. The altar is made from amber-like yellow Castronovo marble