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.

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

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

A city in colour

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

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 miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The two churches

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata