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.

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

A colourful floor

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

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

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

Feast days