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 talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

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

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites