Benedictine monastery in Francofonte
The Benedictine monastery in Francofonte is a building of considerable historical interest as it has been considered one of the most important in the Val di Noto since the 16th century.
It was built in 1532 at the behest of the baron Don Ferdinando Moncada, next to the pre-existing church of S Anthony of Padua. Following the devastating earthquake of 1693, which caused considerable damage to the building, a reconstruction work followed which was completed in 1732. In 1925 the religious order of the Franciscan Sisters took office and since then the monastery has also been known as Orphanage of Santa Rosa. Between 1968 and 1971 a new renovation was carried out which left very little of the ancient eighteenth-century structure: the facade and the external walls on the west and south sides.
The facade is marked vertically by six Tuscan pilasters which have been also reproduced on the wall in the back of the building. On the ground floor, on the sides of the portal, there are four eighteenth-century windows. In the left wing of the building stands the bell tower which rises on three floors. The tower, on two sides, has a series of three windows with full center arches. Characteristic are the curved and outwardly protruding railings, called jealousies, present on each of these openings. The curved shape of these railings allowed the nuns to be able to see outside without being seen.
