Historic Church - Modica, Sicily - Baroque Stonework beneath the Rocky Hills

An ornate historic church rises from the streets of Modica Bassa, its sculpted stone façade framed by old buildings, palms and the rocky Sicilian hillside.

An ornate historic church stands among the old buildings of Modica Bassa, its warm stone façade decorated with sculpted figures, niches, pilasters and an elaborate central portal. Behind the church, the steep limestone hillside rises above the rooftops, emphasizing the dramatic relationship between Modica's historic architecture and its rugged natural setting. The lower town developed along the valley around Corso Umberto I, where churches, former convents, noble residences and later civic buildings create a remarkably varied architectural landscape. Modica was severely affected by the catastrophic earthquake of 1693, after which extensive reconstruction reshaped much of the city and produced many of the late-Baroque buildings for which southeastern Sicily is celebrated. Not every surviving monument belongs entirely to that rebuilding period, however, and Modica retains architectural elements from both before and after the earthquake. Together these layers form part of the historic character of Modica, one of the eight Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.