The Benedictine Monastery of Catania is a jewel of the late Sicilian Baroque. A Cassinese congregation founded the complex in 1558. The original structure was modified by two natural calamities the lava eruption of 1669 and the earthquake of 1693. It was destroyed and re-built, and it is now an example of the integration of different historical periods. Visiting it, you can see the changes due to the lava eruption and the earthquake, but also to the civil uses to which it was destined after the Italian Unification.
10 minutes’ walk from the Cathedral square you find the Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena, a late baroque monument and one of the biggest Benedictine monasteries in Europe. The construction of the building started in 1500 and has continued until today. It is an example of architectonical integration of different styles through different epochs: you can find a roman house, the cloisters, and a roof garden. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It hosts the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania.