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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

A hall for the feasts

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras