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.

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

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

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Some prestigious works

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

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Searching for colour

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine