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.

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

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

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

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

A triumph of colour

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

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

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins