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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci