Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena

The monastery complex is located in the historical centre of the city of Catania, alongside the church of San Nicolò l'Arena.

The 1669 Etna eruption surrounded the city of Catania with lava, widening the coast for more than 1 km, and the lands of the monastery too.

Like nearly the entire city, the monastery was nearly razed and only the basement floors survived.

The present monastery was rebuilt atop the original structure, with an added new cloister (the eastern cloister) and a new area (the large part designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini) on the top of the lava bench.

Media related to Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena at Wikimedia Commons

Facade of the Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena.
The Marble Cloister corresponds to the original square plan of the monastery founded in 1558
Catania and the monastery surrounded by the lava during the 1669 eruption in Giacinto Platania 's fresco.
"Red Hall" - Antonino Leonardi