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 museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

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

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

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

New roads for Catania

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph