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37-599: 37°30′8″N 15°5′25.3″E  /  37.50222°N 15.090361°E  / 37.50222; 15.090361 After the devastations of the 1693 Sicily earthquake , the Prince of Biscari , Ignazio Paternò Castello, 3rd Prince of Biscari, obtained the permission to build this palace. At the time the building stood against the French king Charles V's walls of the town. After Ignazio's death in 1699, his son Vincenzo (1685-1749) and later his nephew Ignazio Paternò Castello (1714-1786),

74-554: A balcony designed to contain an orchestra. The dome fresco is meant to depict the glory of the Paternò Castello di Biscari family. It is accessed through a staircase decorated in stucco within the gallery facing the sea. Among the other rooms are the "Fief Room", featuring large canvasses of the Biscari feudataries; the "Princess Apartments", built by Ignazio V of Biscari for his wife, with pavements of ancient Roman marbles;

111-470: A civil one made up of nobles, and another that was ecclesiastical made up of senior church officials. They were directed to meet twice weekly, and were charged with the drawing up of plans for the reconstruction of the worst affected towns and cities. The initial reconstruction efforts concentrated on restoring the military defences of Syracuse, Augusta, Catania and Acireale, due to their strategic importance. The reconstruction plans were of three types: move

148-546: A grid pattern.. Many of the individual towns were rebuilt to have a unique character, such as the town of Grammichele which was built in a hexagonal shape with the town square in the centre, consisting of the parish and town hall. The towns were rebuilt in what came to be known as the Sicilian Baroque style; the most notable of which is the town of Noto itself, which is now a popular tourist destination due to its fine Baroque architecture. The ruined town of Angie

185-477: A lake a few kilometres long. Several large northwest-southeast trending fractures were created up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) long and 2 metres (6.6 ft) wide, on the plains just south of Catania. In the same area, sand volcanoes were formed by jets of water spurting as much as several metres into the air, with similar phenomena being reported from the Lentini plain and along some river valleys. At Augusta

222-806: A later phase trending SSW-NNE that clearly offsets the first group, including the Avola fault and the Rosolini-Ispica fault system. A destructive earthquake occurred two days before the mainshock at 21:00 local time, centered in the Val di Noto. It had an estimated magnitude of 6.2 and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII–XI on the Mercalli intensity scale . Intensities of VIII or higher have been estimated for Augusta , Avola Vecchia , Floridia , Melilli , Noto Antica , Catania , Francofonte , Lentini , Scicli , Sortino and Vizzini . Augusta lies well outside

259-438: Is an example of a city rebuilt entirely to its existing plan. Ragusa was partly rebuilt on its old site to the medieval plan ( Ragusa Ibla ) and partly on a new, but neighbouring site, to a 'modern' plan ( Ragusa Superiore ). The degree and extent of the damage caused by the earthquake prompted an architectural revival in the towns of Sicily and Malta , a style that has become known as Sicilian Baroque . At this time many of

296-693: Is available. This earthquake caused widespread damage, particularly in Augusta where almost half of the houses were destroyed. Most of the buildings in two districts of Avola collapsed and many buildings were also destroyed in Noto, Floridia, Lentini and Mellili. Some buildings collapsed in Catania, Vizzini and Sortini. There were an estimated 200 deaths in both Augusta and Noto . The area of severe damage covered most of southeastern Sicily, an area of about 14,000 square kilometres (5,400 sq mi), including all

333-551: Is supported by the observation of possible landslide bodies along the Hyblean-Malta escarpment. Historic documents in the Archivo General de Simancas mention dozens of aftershocks, some as late as August 1694, and some reportedly as strong as the initial quake of 11 January 1693. Aftershocks continued until at least 1696, with their effects concentrated in towns along the coast, supporting an epicentre either near

370-600: The Siculo-Calabrian rift zone. This zone of extensional faulting runs for about 370 kilometres (230 mi), forming three main segments through Calabria, along the east coast of Sicily and immediately offshore, and finally forming the southeastern margin of the Hyblaean Plateau . Faults in the Calabrian segment were responsible for the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes sequence. In the southern part of

407-673: The "Birds Gallery" and the "Don Quixote Room". There is also a museum, once housing the collection of Ignazio V, most of the material of which is now in the Castello Ursino in Catania. 1693 Sicily earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily , then a territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria , and Malta on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake

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444-402: The 'rift zones' that extend out to north and south from the summit. Estimates of Coulomb stress transfer due to the dyke intrusion in the rift zones associated with the 1669 eruption, suggest that this could have helped to trigger the 1693 earthquake, by increasing stress levels on the faults. Despite the difficulty of separating the effects of this event from the mainshock, some information

481-424: The 1693 tsunami. Offshore from Augusta, a sequence identified using chirp sonar data was sampled with a 6.7 metres (22 ft) gravity core in 72 metres (236 ft) of water. Following detailed analysis of both grain size and foraminifera assemblages, eleven possible high-energy events were found based on the presence of large numbers of shallow water forams combined with a greater proportion of fine sand in

518-676: The Val Demone and Val di Noto regions of Sicily respectively. Due to illness, both the Prince of Aragon and his replacement the bishop of Syracuse were unable to take up the position of Vicar General for Val di Noto and the Duke of Camastra was forced to take on the responsibility for both areas. Camastra already had considerable experience as an administrator, having served in a number of senior military and judicial positions. The Viceroy also appointed three generals as commissioners in order to organise

555-461: The Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) , inscribed in 1992, referring to the "exceptional quality" of the region's art and architecture. Val di Noto Val di Noto ( lit.   ' Province of Noto ' ) is a historical and geographical area encompassing the south-eastern third of Sicily ; it is dominated by the limestone Hyblaean plateau . Historically, it was one of the three valli of Sicily . The oldest recorded settlement in

592-460: The Val di Noto was the ancient town of Akrai , near Palazzolo Acreide , founded in 664 BC. It was the first colony of the Corinthian settlement at Syracuse . The settlements of the Val di Noto were completely destroyed by the enormous 1693 Sicily earthquake . Following the earthquake, many towns were rebuilt on entirely new sites, such as Noto and Grammichele . The rulers of the time,

629-544: The associated tsunami, involving either rupture along a normal fault, part of the Siculo-Calabrian rift zone, or rupture along the subduction zone beneath the Ionian Sea. An analysis of the distribution of tsunami run-ups along the coast suggests that a submarine landslide triggered by the earthquake is the most likely source, in which case the tsunami provides no constraint on the epicenter. A landslide origin

666-481: The coast or offshore. The tsunami triggered by the earthquake affected most of the Ionian Sea coast of Sicily, about 230 kilometres (140 mi) in all. The first thing that was noted at all localities affected was a withdrawal of the sea. The strongest effects were concentrated around Augusta, where the initial withdrawal left the harbour dry, followed by a wave of at least 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) height, possibly as much as 8 metres (26 ft), that inundated part of

703-528: The dancing Earth; nay, those that lay along on the ground, were tossed from side to side, as if on a rolling billow." Sicily lies on part of the complex convergent boundary where the African plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate . This subduction zone is responsible for the formation of the stratovolcano Mount Etna and considerable seismic activity. Most damaging earthquakes however, occur on

740-499: The eastern coast of Sicily, investigations have identified a series of active normal faults , dipping to the east. Most of these lie offshore and some control basins that contain large thicknesses of Quaternary sediments. The two largest faults, known as the western and eastern master faults, border half-grabens with fills of up to 700 metres (2,300 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) respectively. Onshore, two ages of faulting have been recognised, an earlier phase trending NW-SE and

777-500: The elaborate decoration of the seven large second-storey windows facing the seaside, on the southwest corner of the palace on Via Cardinale Dusmet, by the Messinese sculptor Antonino Amato . The final additions eastward were designed by Giuseppe Palazzotto and, later, by Francesco Battaglia . The building was finished in 1763 and inaugurated with big celebrations. The outer facade on Via Museo Biscari appears somewhat dilapidated;

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814-468: The entrance is through a grand stone portal, decorated with facial cartouches and brackets as well as the coat of arms of the Biscari. It leads to a large inner courtyard, which features a large double outdoor entrance staircase. The Rococo interiors are elaborately frescoed and decorated with stucco. The large octagonal ballroom has a complex decoration of mirrors, stuccoes and frescos painted by Matteo Desiderato and Sebastiano Lo Monaco . A small dome has

851-528: The fifth Prince of Biscari extended and completed the decoration. This latter prince complimented the work with a museum space to display his large collection of mainly archeologic and numismatic collections, now on display in the Museo Civico Castello Ursino . The oldest section was built under Ignazio, the third prince of Biscari, who commissioned the design from the architect Alonzo Di Benedetto . Ignazio's son, Vincenzo, commissioned

888-509: The immediate relief efforts in the worst affected cities. One of the Duke of Camastra's first acts was to temporarily exempt the worst affected areas from taxes. Amongst other administrators sent to the damaged area was Colonel Don Carlos de Grunenbergh , royal engineer to the King of Spain, who had experience in planning and building fortifications. In Palermo, the Viceroy formed two councils,

925-511: The kings of Spain, granted the nobleman Giuseppe Lanza special authority to redesign the damaged towns, which he achieved by sympathetically designing the new towns in a baroque and renaissance style. The newly established settlements underwent a redesign, featuring a central town square from which streets extended outwards in a radial manner. Key structures such as churches, cloisters, and palaces were strategically erected to serve as focal points along these newly laid-out streets, which formed

962-408: The main zone of severe shaking; its extensive damage is probably due to its construction on unconsolidated sediments. From the shape and location of the area of maximum damage, the earthquake is thought to have been caused by movement on the Avola fault. The earthquake lasted for four minutes, according to contemporary accounts. The estimated magnitude of 7.4 is taken from the extent and degree of

999-521: The palazzi, public buildings, cathedrals and churches were reconstructed in this style. Towns that suffered serious damage from the earthquake in which many of their structures were rebuilt, include Syracuse , Ragusa , Catania , Caltagirone , Palazzolo Acreide , Modica , Comiso , Scicli and Mdina on Malta . Many of these towns now form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Late Baroque Towns of

1036-402: The present provinces of Catania , Ragusa and Syracuse . At least 70 cities, towns and villages were devastated, with some examples of at least partial building collapse as far afield as Messina , Agrigento , Palermo , Reggio Calabria and Malta . The earthquake also triggered large landslides, such as at Noto Antica and Sortino, and in one case a large rockslide dammed a stream, forming

1073-473: The recorded damage, with a very large area that reached X ( Extreme ) or more on the Mercalli scale. The maximum shaking reached XI in the towns of Buscemi , Floridia , Melilli , Occhiola and Sortino . The source of the 11 January earthquake is debated. Some catalogues give an onshore epicentre without any direct association with a known structure, while others propose that the source was offshore due to

1110-449: The same interval. The uppermost two events correlate well with the tsunamis from the 1908 Messina earthquake and the 1693 earthquake. Although there are reports of an eruption at the time of the earthquake, most sources suggest that the volcano had been inactive since the destructive eruption of 1669 . Analysis of the relationship between eruptions and earthquakes has found that earthquakes are followed by long periods without activity in

1147-520: The same source was recorded as 54,000 with other sources referring to totals of about 60,000. In 1853, Mallet recorded 93,000 deaths, in his catalogue of earthquakes. Sicily was at the time ruled as part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain . The Viceroy in Madrid, the Duke of Uceda , reacted by appointing Giuseppe Lanza , the Duke of Camastra, and the Prince of Aragon as Vicars General for

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1184-403: The town to a new site, rebuild at the same site with a completely new town plan or rebuild using the existing town plan. Examples of towns that fell in the first category were Avola and Noto, their former locations now being known as Avola Antica and Noto Antica. Catania is an example of a city that was rebuilt on the same site to a new plan while adapting some of the existing structures. Syracuse

1221-599: The town. The maximum inundation of about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) was recorded at Mascali . Tsunami deposits linked to the 1693 tsunami have been found both onshore and offshore. At Ognina, just south of Syracuse, at the head of a ria , a sequence containing several coarse clastic layers has been found, inconsistent with its lagoonal setting. The uppermost coarse layer, which has a strongly erosive base, consists of coarse sand with up to granule size clasts. The layer has been dated as 17th to 18th century based on pottery shards and one well-preserved clay pipe, consistent with

1258-663: The towns and cities of southeastern Sicily, particularly the Val di Noto , in a homogeneous late Baroque style , described as "the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe". According to a contemporary account of the earthquake by Vincentius Bonajutus, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society , "It was in this country impossible to keep upon our legs, or in one place on

1295-689: The tsunami damaged galleys of the Knights of Malta that were anchored in the harbour when they were grounded during the initial withdrawal of the sea. The number of deaths recorded at the time in official sources were about 12,000 in Catania (63% of the population), 5,045 in Ragusa (51%), 3,500 in Syracuse (23%) 3,000 in Noto (25%), 1,840 in Augusta (30%) and 3,400 in Modica (19%). The total death toll in

1332-528: Was followed by tsunamis that devastated the coastal villages on the Ionian Sea and in the Straits of Messina . Almost two-thirds of the entire population of Catania were killed. The epicentre of the disaster was probably close to the coast, possibly offshore, although the exact position remains unknown. The extent and degree of destruction caused by the earthquake resulted in the extensive rebuilding of

1369-500: Was preceded by a damaging foreshock on 9 January. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale , the most powerful in Italian recorded history, and a maximum intensity of XI ( Extreme ) on the Mercalli intensity scale , destroying at least 70 towns and cities, seriously affecting an area of 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and causing the death of about 60,000 people. The earthquake

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