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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

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

A city in colour

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The two churches

Prominent façade

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras