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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

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

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

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

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A talking palace

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

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

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

Prominent façade

Feast days

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century