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 museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

A new site for a new city

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

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

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A hall for the feasts

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

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste