Modica

From International Gothic to present day

interno chiesa dall’ingresso verso l’altareThe interior of the church of Carmine features a classic Sicilian maiolica floor paired with a snow white wall with some architectural elements in relief such as capitals , arches, columns and the trabeation .
Their combination produces plays of light and shadow, achieved thanks to the rays of sunlight filtering through the windows. The altars, paintings such as the panel of St. Albert and the sculptural complex of the Annunciation add colour to and illuminate the church of Carmine. The white wooden structure behind the main altar is wonderful, embellished with golden stuccoes in the centre of which is the Madonna and Child.
foto dettaglio trabeazione foto dettaglio trabeazione
An astonishing discovery was made a few years ago: to the right of the apse , hidden in the wall, was the entrance to a side chapel of medieval, late-Gothic times. Traces remain of its ancient decoration and the funerary room beneath the floor.
struttura dietro l’altare

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church