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.

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

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

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

Between white and black

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

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

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

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Wonderful quick decorations