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 church of Carmine

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

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

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

Between white and black

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A triumph of colour

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

One city, two sites