The church of Santa Chiara is located in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, next to the former Benedictine monastery of the Holy Crucifix.The church was designed by Rosario Gagliardi around 1730, it was completed in 1758 and later annexed to the monastery belonged the Benedictine nuns (which is now a museum).
It represents an important example of baroque architecture.The façade of the church was originally located in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It had a portal surmounted by a broken vault, while at the centre there was a window with a large circular gable decorated with battlements. In the 19th century, as a result of previous excavation works, the church’s entrance turned to be above the street level, which practically obstructed the access to the worship place. The same thing happened to the portal of the monastery (now walled but easily detectable by lavish baroque battlements and pyramidal pinnacles which are still visible).The current façade, located in via Capponi, has the main entrance located on a small staircase.
Among the many artworks inside the church, there is an altarpiece depicting Santa Chiara, San Benedetto and Santa Scolastica, made by Salvatore Lo Forte in 1854 and a 16th century marble-made sculpture of the Virgin and the Child, attributed to Antonello Gagin.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.