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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

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

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

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

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

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition