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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

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

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

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The two churches

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The church of Carmine

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

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata