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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The two churches

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life