Modica

Some prestigious works

Inside the church there are valuable works of art including the Tavola di Sant’Alberto (Panel of St. Albert), the Madonna del Latte and the Annunciation. The former was perhaps part of a polyptych, a painting composition that also included other panels.
The painting depicts St. Albert with a lily and a book in one hand and a crucifix in the other. The work dates back to the early 16th century. According to some scholars the panel was painted between 1513 and 1517 by Leonardo da Vinci’s student, Cesare de Sesto, when he lived in Sicily.
The Madonna del Latte is an interesting sculpture made of papier-mâché, a much more delicate material than classic marble, wood or bronze. The work dates from around the 14th century and is located to the right of the church atrium.
scultura Madonna del Latte tela santa maria maddalena
The Annunciation is a sculptural group in white marble, created by the workshop of a Palermo-born artist, Giandomenico Gagini.
The faces of the angel and the Virgin were carved with extreme delicateness and both the blue dress of Mary and the angel’s hair were finely coloured.

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Norman apses

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

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

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

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto