San Giorgio Cathedral, Modica

 I think of Sicily as a crossroads of cultures over many centuries, full of surprises and rich in art and architecture. On our visit in summer 2002 I did not expect that Baroque would be so prevalent and spectacular there. Although there were local manifestations that could be called Baroque from the mid17th century, it is after the catastrophic earthquake of 1693 that a distinctive local style developed in the south of the island.

 At that time Sicily was part of the Spanish Empire, and  ruled by a local Viceroy. In practice the island was domoinated bya large local aristocracy. It was estimated that in the 18th century there were 228 noble families : 58 princes, 27 dukes, 37 marquesses, 26 counts, one viscount and 79 barons! The country was largely agricultural, with a strong economy. The rural estates were large with plenty of peasant labour- unchanged for centuries. The Church was rich and powerful with many aristocrats as bishops and priests. Younger children of the aristocracy were often sent to be monks or nuns and this further enriched the Church. The links between the aristocracy and the Church helps to explain the flowering of Baroque Churches. San Giorgio in Modica is a prime example. Our visit to Modica was a hasty morning one from nearby Ragusa. I have never forgotten the exterior with the steps reminiscent of the Spanish Steps and Trinita dei Monti in Rome. It is a pleasure to also find some pictures of the interior to explore and enthuse about it to you from my laptop.

Much of the existing baroque building, except for the roofs,  survived the great earthquake of 1693 and  renovations occurred in the early 18th century including the first and second orders of the facade. The  architect was Rosario Gagliardi, possibly the greatest Sicilian Baroque master. This facade should have looked familiar to me because the Catholic Cathedral in Dresden by Gaetano Chiaveri completed in 1753 seems to have been influenced by it. In 1760 Paolo Labisi completed the facade with a third order : a tower. He managed to blend this into the existing style and I could have believed the whole facade was of a piece. This is the classic design of Sicilian baroque churches and we shall meet it again and again. Finally a little spire with iron cross was added to the tower in 1842. Apparently the steps at the front were developed in two stages : in 1814-8 and 1874-80. Again it all appears as a piece.

My mentor Sacheverell Sitwell in Southern Baroque Revisited (1967) waxes lyrical about the exterior. "the great church of Modica seen from afar as we approach the town, now appears in majesty above its stair, with its three-storeyed frontispiece that...does for all its being Siciliian...suggest Austrian influence and that of Likas von Hildebrandt...or Kilian Ignaz Dienzenhoffer."

The wide interior of five aisles has classical columns with Corinthian capitals. There is a large tempting organ on the fourth bay to the left with some 3000 pipes - alas silent when we visited.

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1587561

 CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=294963

Di Clemensfranz - Opera propria, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=990577

This is Modica filmed by a drone : the best way to get an idea of the layout if this extraordinary place.