Militello in Val di Catania

Feast days

By a bishop’s decree dated 12 July 1909, the 18th of August was chosen as the date to celebrate the Holy Saviour. The celebrations last for days and days and involve all citizens.
It begins on the 8th of August with the day of the “Cantata” (song), where bells are rung and cannon shots fired, followed in the evening by a procession, reminding the citizens that the feast is near and inviting them to prepare. Nine long days go by until the 17th of August, the Eve of the feast. In the morning the local band marches around the streets of the town. In the evening the committee for the festivities goes to the town hall and invites the mayor and the civic and military authorities to join the procession.
At this point, after the mayor’s offering of the votive candle and floral tribute to the saint, the sacred image of the Holy Saviour is unveiled.
The 18th of August is finally here!
The town is awoken by the ringing of bells and the firing of one hundred and one cannon shots, followed by the Pontifical High Mass. In the afternoon the statue of the saint leaves the church and is carried in procession through the streets of Militello. It is festively decorated with long red and white drapes, flowers and small altars. The celebrations don’t end here… The Veglia di preghiera (Prayer Vigil) takes place on the 24th followed by a short procession on the 25th; all of which is accompanied by various sport, recreational and cultural activities to entertain the participants.

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

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

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

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

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

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

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A prominent church

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces