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.

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

Feast days

A city in colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

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

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

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

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre