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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

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

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

Norman apses

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

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A long reconstruction

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

A prominent church

One city, two sites

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

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento