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. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

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

One city, two sites

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

A talking palace

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Searching for colour