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 interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Norman apses

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

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

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

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

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

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

A talking palace

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black