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

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea