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.

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

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

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

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

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo