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 colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

The two churches

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

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

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

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata