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.

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

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

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library