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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

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

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The internal colours