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

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

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

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

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

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces