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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A majestic and luminous church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

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

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

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

The internal colours

Feast days

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church