Palazzolo Acreide

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian) is located in the centre of Palazzolo Acreide, a few metres from the town hall in Piazza del Popolo.facciata da piazza del popolo pieno giorno
Over the centuries the church was rebuilt and modernised several times. The first religious building dedicated to St. Sebastian probably dates back to the 15th century and was built where the church of San Rocco (St. Roch) used to stand.
Very quickly the church proved to be too small and so it was extended; in 1655 the new structure was finished.
But the joy of having a new church did not last long, as the violent earthquake of 1693 almost completely destroyed the church. For many years religious services were held in a hut, a makeshift structure not far from the remains of the church.
Years passed and those in charge of the religious congregation felt the need to rebuild and give the district back its church. The stages of construction were long and complex due to economic difficulties and various debates, especially with the nearby Capuchin friars.
The end result was an incredible sight; it was difficult not to be enchanted by it.
Whether in broad daylight, by the light of sunset, the darkness of the evening, or Christmas lights, the church attracts attention and arouses a strong feeling of majesty and grandeur.

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

Feast days

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

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

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A prominent church

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

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

The theatre of taste

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

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black