Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches

The two main churches of Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Paolo (St. Paul) and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), are excellent examples of the particular late Baroque style.
  
They stand out from the other buildings in the town and hold particular significance.
Each with their own style, they form a theatrical setting that characterises the town space, so much so that their surrounding districts are named after them.
The great value of the two religious buildings is given by the interesting architectural features and the rich, elaborate decorations preserved inside. Both were rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to demonstrate the wealth possessed by the local confraternities.
Religious feasts are very popular in Palazzolo Acreide! They take place from June to October and are dedicated to the town’s patron saints.
The feast of St. Paul the Apostle (29th June) ) has very ancient origins, is internationally celebrated and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists every year. The same can be said of the feast in honour of St. Sebastian to whom almost the entire month of August is dedicated.

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

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

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

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

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

The internal colours

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

Norman apses