Church of San Carlo
The former Jesuit church, one of the most refined expressions of Noto Baroque.
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A Jesuit memory in the city of stone
In the heart of Noto, along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the Church of San Carlo Borromeo stands beside the former Jesuit College. Construction began in 1730 to a design attributed to Rosario Gagliardi, placing the church within the great Baroque rebuilding of the city after the 1693 earthquake.
History and architecture
A slow reading of the church, from the eighteenth-century reconstruction to its liturgical life today.
A church for the new Noto
After the 1693 earthquake, Noto was rebuilt on a new site according to an ambitious urban plan. The Jesuits established their complex along the city’s monumental main axis, making San Carlo part of the religious and cultural identity of the new Baroque town.
Stone, columns and movement
The façade rises through three superimposed orders, shaped by a concave profile and smooth-shaft columns. The capitals progress from Doric to Ionic and Corinthian, creating an elegant vertical composition animated by the changing light on Noto’s golden limestone.
The space of liturgy
The interior follows a Latin-cross plan with three naves and a central dome. The vault preserves large painted scenes of the Transfiguration, the healing of the paralytic and the Triumph of the Agnus Dei; the Evangelists appear on the dome pendentives, while four statues evoke the Cardinal Virtues.
A church connected to the Cathedral
During the long reconstruction of the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas after its 1996 collapse, San Carlo served as the city’s vice-cathedral. It also housed the silver Ark containing the relics of Saint Conrad Confalonieri, patron saint of Noto, strengthening its enduring bond with the Cathedral.
A place to be told through images
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In the heart of Baroque Noto
The church faces Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Noto’s historic centre. Update the practical visitor information here.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Noto (SR), Sicily
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A church to be discovered slowly
San Carlo brings together the discipline of the Jesuit tradition and the theatrical character of Noto Baroque. Its façade, naves and connection with Saint Conrad tell the story of a place that is not only a monument, but a living part of the city’s religious life.