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 prominent church

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

The city of museums

The two churches

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

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

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

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

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica