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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

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

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

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

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

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites