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 new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A miniature city

Norman apses

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

The internal colours

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

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

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A prominent church

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre