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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Norman apses

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania