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.

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Feast days

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

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

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

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

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church