Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, the architect whose work helped define the Baroque character of Catania, was born on 3rd February, 1702 in Palermo. His designs played a central role in shaping the rebuilt city following the catastrophic earthquake of 1693, which devastated large parts of eastern Sicily.
Vaccarini was responsible for several of Catania’s most important civic buildings, including the Palazzo del Municipio, the Palazzo San Giuliano and the Palazzo dell’Università. He also oversaw the reconstruction of key religious structures, notably the Chiesa della Badia di Sant’Agata. Furthermore, he designed the Baroque façade of the Cattedrale di Sant’Agata, which had been left in ruins by the earthquake.
Among his best-known works is the Fontana dell’Elefante, placed at the centre of the reconstructed Piazza Duomo. The monument combines a marble base and fountain with an ancient Roman lava-stone elephant carrying an obelisk. Many believe the inspiration for the design was Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s elephant Obelisk of Minerva in Rome. Known in Sicilian as “Liotru”, the statue became the enduring symbol of Catania.
Fontana dell’Elefante, Piazza Duomo
Life and works in Catania
Vaccarini showed artistic talent from a young age and moved to Rome to study architecture with the support of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a prominent patron of the arts. During his time in the capital, he was strongly influenced by Bernini and Francesco Borromini, as well as by Alessandro Specchi, Filippo Raguzzini and Francesco de Sanctis, architects who shaped the development of Roman Baroque.
On returning to Sicily around 1730, the Senate of Catania appointed Vaccarini city architect. The city was still undergoing extensive reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake, which killed up to 60,000 people and destroyed dozens of towns and villages. Vaccarini spent much of his career directing this rebuilding effort, helping to establish Catania as Sicily’s second city.
His most sustained project was the restoration of the Catania Duomo, which lasted 36 years from 1732 to 1768. The façade became a defining example of late Sicilian Baroque, noted for its alternating use of white marble and dark lava stone. Nearby, the Badia di Sant’Agata reflected Borromini’s influence through its dome and rhythmic façade, marked by precise detailing.
Catania Duomo
Image credit: By Berthold Werner – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Vaccarini also worked on the Palazzo Gioeni, Palazzo Valle and the church of San Benedetto in Via dei Crociferi. The only significant period he spent away from Catania came in 1756, when he travelled to Naples to assist Luigi Vanvitelli and Ferdinando Fuga on the construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta.
Giovanni Battista Vaccarini died in Palermo in 1768. His work remains central to Catania’s architectural identity
