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.

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The internal colours

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

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

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour