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

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The two churches

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

The internal colours

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

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

Searching for colour

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica