Church of St. Francesco Of Assisi, Ragusa

The earthquake of 1863 destroyed Old Ragusa, known as Ibla, including the Capuchin monastery. In 1819, Father Giambattista Scopetta founded a monastery in Ragusa at a new location. Subsequently, this monk-engineer designed and built a bridge across the valley of Santa Domenico, connecting the Old and New Town. Now this bridge is known as the Ponte dei Cappuccino, and a block from its southern tip is Piazza Cappuccino, where the church of the new monastery is located. By the middle of the 20th century, very few monks remained, and the monastery premises were used as a hospital. Eventually, the monks moved to the monastery of Francis Paola. On December 8, 1950, the church received parish status, and in 1986 the parish was named after the patron saint of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi (Parrocchia S. Francesco D'Assisi), and a monument to him was erected on the square in front of the church.

..

..

..

..