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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

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

A museum to save a tradition

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 Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

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

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

The church of Carmine

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

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase