Santa Cita, reconsecrated in 1952 as San Mamiliano, 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 ...

-style, Roman Catholic parish church located on Via Squarcialupo, 1, in the quarter of Castellammare of the city 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 ...

, Sicily, Italy. The church and its artworks suffered heavily the bombardment during the Second World War, but it still contains original works and is attached to the Oratory of the Rosary of Santa Cita and less than a block north of the church of Santa Maria di Valverde.

History

A church at the site, dedicated to the saint

Zita of Lucca Zita (c. 1212 – 27 April 1272; also known as Sitha or Citha) is an Italian saint, the patron saint of maids and domestic servants. She is often appealed to in order to help find lost keys. She is often confused with St. Osyth or Ositha, an ...

, was founded by Tuscan merchants in the early 14th-century and then attached to the Dominican order. In 1583, a new larger church was erected using designs by

Giuseppe Giacalone Giuseppe Giacalone was an architect, active in the second half of the 16th century; mainly in his native city of Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both th ...

, and completed in 1603. The facade was not completed until 1781 by Nicolò Peralta. Initially the church had three side chapels and decorated aisles, but the destruction of the bombing in 1943 led to the reconstruction of the church with a single nave. The church was rededicated to San Mamiliano, first bishop of Palermo.

Art and architecture

Above the portal is a peculiar statue of a dog at the feet of a globe. Putatively in his mouth he carried a flaming torch. This image reflects a legend about a vision St Dominic's mother had before his birth, and later interpretations that Dominicans were dogged in their efforts to spread the flames of faith, and eradicate heresy. The two flanking reliefs in the facade depict allegories of ''Charity'' and ''Faith''. In the second chapel to the right is a Renaissance-style marble polyptych (1516) and arch by

Antonello Gagini Antonello Gagini (1478–1536) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, mainly active in Sicily and Calabria. Antonello belonged to a family of sculptors and artisans, originally from Northern Italy, but active throughout Italy, including Gen ...

. He also sculpted the sarcophagus of Antonio Scirotta in a chapel on the left. The ''Chapel of the Crucifix'' was purchased in 1614 by the aristocratic

Lanza Lanza may refer to: People Surname * Adam Lanza (1992–2012), American spree killer and perpetrator of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting * Alcides Lanza (born 1929), Canadian composer * Andrew Lanza (born 1964), New York State senato ...

family. The crypt below this chapel held four sarcophagi and a ''Pietà'' attributed to Giorgio da Milano. One of the sarcophagi holds Cesare Lanza, while another is said to hold Laura Lanza, Baroness of Carini, his first wife whom he murdered in 1563, putatively in a crime of passion. Among the altarpieces in the church is a depiction of the ''Blessed Geremia'' (1785) 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 ...

in the left transept, and a depiction of '' Saint Agnes of Montepulciano'' (1603) by Filippo Paladini. The first chapel on the right transept, dedicated to the ''Madonna del Rosario'', survived the bombardment. It is richly decorated with polychrome marble and small tableux made with stucco (1697-1721) by

Gioacchino Vitagliano Gioacchino Vitagliano (1669 – 27 April 1739) was a Sicilian Baroque sculptor. He was born and died in Palermo. He trained under Giacomo Serpotta, and married Serpotta's daughter. He sculpted the Fontana del Garraffo in Palermo. He also cr ...

. These ''teatrini'' or dramatic set-pieces depict the scenes of the ''Mystery of the Rosary''. The ceiling is frescoes framed with elaborate stucco with the five glorious mysteries of the Rosary, by

Pietro Aquila Pietro Aquila (c. 1630–1692) was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Baroque period. He was born in Palermo. He mentored his nephew, the printmaker Francesco Faraone Aquila. Biography He trained at the school of Palermo painter and engraver ...

.Turismo Palermo
entry. These tableux can be compared to the ones made by Serpotta for the adjacent oratory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cita Palermo 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Palermo Baroque architecture in Palermo