Modica

From International Gothic to present day

interno chiesa dall’ingresso verso l’altareThe interior of the church of Carmine features a classic Sicilian maiolica floor paired with a snow white wall with some architectural elements in relief such as capitals , arches, columns and the trabeation .
Their combination produces plays of light and shadow, achieved thanks to the rays of sunlight filtering through the windows. The altars, paintings such as the panel of St. Albert and the sculptural complex of the Annunciation add colour to and illuminate the church of Carmine. The white wooden structure behind the main altar is wonderful, embellished with golden stuccoes in the centre of which is the Madonna and Child.
foto dettaglio trabeazione foto dettaglio trabeazione
An astonishing discovery was made a few years ago: to the right of the apse , hidden in the wall, was the entrance to a side chapel of medieval, late-Gothic times. Traces remain of its ancient decoration and the funerary room beneath the floor.
struttura dietro l’altare

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

The internal colours

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo