Modica

Some prestigious works

Inside the church there are valuable works of art including the Tavola di Sant’Alberto (Panel of St. Albert), the Madonna del Latte and the Annunciation. The former was perhaps part of a polyptych, a painting composition that also included other panels.
The painting depicts St. Albert with a lily and a book in one hand and a crucifix in the other. The work dates back to the early 16th century. According to some scholars the panel was painted between 1513 and 1517 by Leonardo da Vinci’s student, Cesare de Sesto, when he lived in Sicily.
The Madonna del Latte is an interesting sculpture made of papier-mâché, a much more delicate material than classic marble, wood or bronze. The work dates from around the 14th century and is located to the right of the church atrium.
scultura Madonna del Latte tela santa maria maddalena
The Annunciation is a sculptural group in white marble, created by the workshop of a Palermo-born artist, Giandomenico Gagini.
The faces of the angel and the Virgin were carved with extreme delicateness and both the blue dress of Mary and the angel’s hair were finely coloured.

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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

Feast days

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

The two churches

The city of museums

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

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase