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

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

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

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

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

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

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

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses