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 new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Norman apses

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

A miniature city

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

The city of museums

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

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

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches