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.

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

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

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Feast days

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

One city, two sites

Norman apses

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)