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 half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

A prominent church

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

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

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life