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 Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

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

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

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

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

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

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

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library