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.

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The city of museums

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The internal colours

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

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

A triumph of colour

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

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

A miniature city

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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