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 new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

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

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

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

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

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

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

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour