The cathedral dome collapsed in 1996 as a result of unremedied structural weakening caused by an earthquake in 1990, to which injudicious building alterations in the 1950s may have contributed.

Construction of the Church of St Nicholas began in the early 18th century, as part of the general reconstruction in Sicily following the devastating earthquake of 1693.

The large central window of the west front, with its "ears" and curvilinear tympanum borrows from the repertoire of Andrea Pozzo and resembles work elsewhere in Noto by Francesco Paolo Labisi (for example, the Chiesa del Carmine).

In the 1950s much refurbishment was carried out, not entirely successfully, for example the trompe-l'œil of the vertical elements and the tempera decoration of the vaults by the painters Arduino and Baldinelli, as well as major alterations to the high altar and the organ.

The task was made all the more onerous by the importance and high visibility of the cathedral in the city of Noto, the so-called capital of Sicilian Baroque architecture.

The new high altar, lectern, crucifix and organ were all consecrated by Bishop Antonio Staglianò on January 13, 2011, at a ceremony attended by the head of the Civil Protection Department, Francesco Gabrielli, and the highest regional and local authorities, including the Minister for the Environment, Stefania Prestigiacomo, and the Emergency Commissioner for Reconstruction, the Prefect of Siracusa, Carmela Floreno Vacirca.