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 miniature city

The two churches

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

Feast days

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

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

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

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

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

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

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

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

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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