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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

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

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

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

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

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

The two churches

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara