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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

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

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

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

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata