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!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church