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 internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

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

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

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

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica