The Church of Saint Ignatius (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio or Sant'Ignazio all'Olivella) is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

church of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. It is located in the ancient neighborhood of the

Olivella Olivella is a municipality in Catalonia, in the province of Barcelona, Spain. It is situated in the comarca of Garraf. History The first known village in the area was founded in 992 around a castle known as ''Castell vell''. The inhabitants li ...

, in the

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

of the

Loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

, within the historic centre of Palermo.

History

Construction of the church was begun in 1598 under the patronage the

Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

. Putatively, this site housed the Sinibaldi family palace, where the 12th-century Santa Rosalia had been born. A Norman era chapel was present at the site. The Oratory of Santa Caterina is present to the right of the facade, recessed from the piazza. North of the facade is attached the former convent of the Jesuit congregation, now Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas. The initial architect was Antonio Muttone. Work persisted for nearly a century, and formal consecration did not take place till 1711.

Description

The baroque facade has projecting doric columns. The flanking bell-towers were added in the 18th century, and embellished with statues depicting Saints

Phillip Neri Philip Romolo Neri ( ; it, italics=no, Filippo Romolo Neri, ; 22 July 151526 May 1595), known as the "Second Apostle of Rome", after Saint Peter, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of t ...

, Rosalia (added in 1651),

Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, ''Ignátios Antiokheías''; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (, ''Ignátios ho Theophóros'', lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer ...

(holding the palm-frond of martyrdom and menaced by a lion at his feet) and

Francis of Sales Francis de Sales (french: François de Sales; it, Francesco di Sales; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to ...

(added 1751). The dome was completed in 1732. The ceiling decorated with coffered panels, frescoed by

Antonio Manno Antonio Manno (1739 – 1810) was an Italian people, Italian painter of the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, active mainly in his Sicily. Biography He trained in his native Palermo initially with Vito d'Anna. Among Antonio's works in Sicily ...

. The floor is paved with polychrome marbles. The main altarpiece depicts a ''Trinity'' by

Sebastiano Conca Sebastiano Conca (8 January 1680 – 1 September 1764) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples under Francesco Solimena. In 1706, along with his brother Giovanni, who ...

. It was flanked by stucco and marble statues on an imposing main altar, including the marble statues of Saints Peter and Paul by

Ignazio Marabitti Ignazio Marabitti (6 September 1719La Sicilia nel secolo XVIII e la poesia satiricoburlesca By Giuseppe Leanti, page 163. in Palermo – 1797 in Palermo) was a Sicilian sculptor of the late Baroque period. He trained in Rome in the studio of Fil ...

. A lateral altar has a canvas depicting the ''Martyrdom of St Ignatius'' by

Filippo Paladino Filippo Paladino (1544 -1614) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born near Florence in Tuscany and remained there until circa 1586 when he was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to Malta. From there, he moved to Sicily where he was active ...

. Another altarpiece is a copy of Guido Reni's portrait of ''St Phillip Neri''. A ''Miracle of the Blessed

Sebastian Valfrè Sebastian Valfrè (9 March 1629 – 30 January 1710) was a Catholic priest and a member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. He is called the Apostle of Turin for his long years of service to the people of that city, where he served as the provos ...

'' was painted by Salvatore Loforte; he also painted the large altarpiece depicting ''San Nicolo di Bari appears in the clouds of a tempest to the Abbott Elpino''. The chapel of St Mary Magdalen has an altarpiece by Mario Menniti. An ''Annuciation'' was completed by Giacomo Loverde in imitation of the style of

Pietro Novelli Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Also known as ''il Monrealese'' or ''Pietro "Malta" Novelli'' to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli I ...

. A 15th-century altarpiece depicting the ''Virgin and Child with a young John the Baptist'' attributed to

Lorenzo di Credi Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects. He is most famous for having worked in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio at the same time a ...

.Dizionario topografico della Sicilia
Volume 2, by Vito Amico, Palermo (1856); page 271.

References

External links

Gaspare Palermo, ''Guida istruttiva per potersi conoscere tutte le magnificenze della Città di Palermo'', Volume I, Palermo, Reale Stamperia, 1816

Ignazio Ignazio () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Arts *Ignazio Collino (1736–1793), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Fresu (born 1957), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Gardella (1905–1999), Italian architect and designer ...

Baroque architecture in Palermo

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