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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

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

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

A prominent church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feast days

The two churches

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers