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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

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

Two illustrious patron saints