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.

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From International Gothic to present day

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

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

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

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

The city of museums