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 long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

One city, three sites

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

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

Many owners, one palace

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses