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 talking palace

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches