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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

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

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

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

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

One city, three sites

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches