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 symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

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

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

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

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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