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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

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

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

A new site for a new city

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

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

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

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days