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.

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

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

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life