Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches

The two main churches of Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Paolo (St. Paul) and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), are excellent examples of the particular late Baroque style.
  
They stand out from the other buildings in the town and hold particular significance.
Each with their own style, they form a theatrical setting that characterises the town space, so much so that their surrounding districts are named after them.
The great value of the two religious buildings is given by the interesting architectural features and the rich, elaborate decorations preserved inside. Both were rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to demonstrate the wealth possessed by the local confraternities.
Religious feasts are very popular in Palazzolo Acreide! They take place from June to October and are dedicated to the town’s patron saints.
The feast of St. Paul the Apostle (29th June) ) has very ancient origins, is internationally celebrated and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists every year. The same can be said of the feast in honour of St. Sebastian to whom almost the entire month of August is dedicated.

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

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

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

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

A long reconstruction

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

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

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

The city of museums