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 triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

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

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The two churches

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