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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

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

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

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica