The Chiesa del Carmine is a Roman Catholic church located on Corso Umberto in the town of Modica, province of Ragusa, Sicily, Italy.

History

A church at the site along with the convent of the Carmelites was established in Modica by 1390. Most of the church survived the

1693 Sicily earthquake The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, Calabria, and Malta on January 11 at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7. ...

, retaining some of the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and romanesque elements, including the portal. Atop the portal is a carved

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window' ...

of Saint Margaret. On the left of the facade is the original bell-tower. The interior has a single nave with an apse delimited by pilasters rising to a pointed arch. The ribbed vaults of the roof and walls have traces of medieval frescoes. The interior houses the ''Pala di Sant'Alberto'', an altarpiece depicting this Carmelite Saint holding a book and lily in one hand, and a crucifix in the other. This altarpiece was likely a fragment of a larger 16th-century polyptych. Some attribute the work to

Cesare da Sesto Cesare da Sesto (1477–1523) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance active in Milan and elsewhere in Italy. Life Cesare da Sesto was born in Sesto Calende, Lombardy. He is considered one of the ''Leonardeschi'' or artists influenced by Leo ...

. The church has a marble sculpture of the

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

, probably by

Antonello Gagini Antonello Gagini (1478–1536) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, mainly active in Sicily and Calabria. Antonello belonged to a family of sculptors and artisans, originally from Northern Italy, but active throughout Italy, including Gen ...

.Comune of Modica
tourism entry on church.

References

Roman Catholic churches in Modica 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy {{Italy-RC-church-stub