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 Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

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

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

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

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

The two churches

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

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

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

The colours of the cathedral