The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista has an highly decorated facade and the church includes impressive works of art dating back to the 17th century.
The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista is the main attraction of Ragusa Superiore, the top of Ragusa. It used to be located in the centre of the old city of Ragusa under the medieval castle where you can now observe the church of Santa Angese. After the earthquake in 1963 the church was moved to the new location in the heart of the new city of Ragusa. The first stone was put down in 1694 and in only 4 months the church was complete! But the initial church was too small for a population that was quickly growing so in 1718 Rosario Gagliardi – the architect that also designed the San Giorgio cathedral in Ragusa Ibla and many more sites during this period- started building the current cathedral. The highly decorated facade is lovely and the addition by Mario Spada of a campanile made this church even more picturesque.
The museum of the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista treasures and exhibits sacred artefacts of fine beauty. The seven exhibition rooms have Saints relics, gold artefacts, liturgical dresses, jewellery and episcopal texts.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Times: Eveyday 10.00-12.30 & 16.00-18.00
Address: Piazza San Giovanni, Ragusa