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 small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The chocolate of Modica

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A city in colour

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo