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 senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites