Chiesa di San Pietro

On Corso Umberto in Modica’s lower town, the Chiesa di San Pietro is the city’s mother church. Its reddish facade and staircase lined with twelve apostle statues, known locally as the Santoni, provide a restrained counterpart to the Duomo di San Giorgio above.

Why it matters

San Pietro is Modica’s oldest documented parish and its mother church. After the 1693 earthquake, rebuilding began in 1697. Its facade balances Neoclassical and Baroque elements, offering a measured counterpart to San Giorgio across the valley.

What to notice

The facade’s two levels are articulated by rusticated pilaster strips. Three portals with broken tympanums occupy the lower level; above, four statues — St Catald, St Rosalia, St Peter and the Virgin Mary — flank the composition, which closes beneath a sunburst enclosing Christ. The three-flight staircase along Corso Umberto I was completed in 1876 and is lined with twelve apostle statues on high pedestals, known as the Santoni.

Context and history

A church dedicated to St Peter stood here by 1308, although the original structure is undocumented. The earthquake of 1693 damaged it; rebuilding began in 1697 under master builders Mario Spata and Rosario Boscarino. Over the eighteenth century the building acquired the balanced Neoclassical-Baroque character of its present facade. The staircase along Corso Umberto I was completed in 1876, with the statues of the apostles placed on its pedestals.