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 Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints