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

A symbol for the town

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

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

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

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

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

Norman apses

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

A prominent church

A miniature city

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

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

Searching for colour

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea