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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The city of museums

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

A symbol for the town

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

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

The two churches