Palazzolo Acreide

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian) is located in the centre of Palazzolo Acreide, a few metres from the town hall in Piazza del Popolo.facciata da piazza del popolo pieno giorno
Over the centuries the church was rebuilt and modernised several times. The first religious building dedicated to St. Sebastian probably dates back to the 15th century and was built where the church of San Rocco (St. Roch) used to stand.
Very quickly the church proved to be too small and so it was extended; in 1655 the new structure was finished.
But the joy of having a new church did not last long, as the violent earthquake of 1693 almost completely destroyed the church. For many years religious services were held in a hut, a makeshift structure not far from the remains of the church.
Years passed and those in charge of the religious congregation felt the need to rebuild and give the district back its church. The stages of construction were long and complex due to economic difficulties and various debates, especially with the nearby Capuchin friars.
The end result was an incredible sight; it was difficult not to be enchanted by it.
Whether in broad daylight, by the light of sunset, the darkness of the evening, or Christmas lights, the church attracts attention and arouses a strong feeling of majesty and grandeur.

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

The theatre of taste

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

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

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

Searching for colour

The internal colours

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

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

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

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

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day