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 small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

The internal colours

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

The Staircase of Angels

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

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

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

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

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

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

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

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

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca