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 disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

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

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

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

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A long reconstruction

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

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

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

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts