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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

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

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

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

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A talking palace

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

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

The Staircase of Angels