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.

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

A talking palace

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours