The Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena is the second largest Benedictine monastery in Europe after Mafra in Portugal, and a jewel of the late Sicilian Baroque with a long and complex history. The Monastery went through natural disasters, reconstruction, decay, recovery and the work of many of Sicily’s most famous architects: the Amato brothers, the Battaglia father, son and nephew, Stefano Ittar, Vaccarini, Palazzotto and Musumeci. The monastery’s golden age was the 18th century, during which it was greatly enlarged and enriched. Today the structure, managed and recovered by the University, houses among other things the beautiful Civica and Ursino Recupero United Libraries.