250px, View of the upper façade. Sant'Eulalia dei Catalani is a

deconsecrated Deconsecration, also called secularization, is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated by a minister or priest of that religion. The practice is usually performed on churches or synagogues to ...

church, whose

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

facade can still be seen on Via Argenteria #19, at the edge of the lively

Vucciria market La Vucciria is an ancient, large market or bazaar area and neighborhood, with shops and tables selling products, produce, and foodstuffs located in the ancient quarter of Castellammare of central Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. It consists of n ...

in ancient quarter of Castellammare in central Palermo, region of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In a niche in the small piazza in front of the church is a statue of the

Genius of Palermo The Genius of Palermo (in Italian ''Genio di Palermo'', also called ''Genio'' or ''Palermo'') is one of the city symbols and the lay patron of Palermo. He was the ancient numen and genius loci of the Sicilian city. The Genius is the emblem of P ...

, sculpted by Pietro di Bonitate in 1483, and now called ''Palermu lu Grandi''.

History

The church was built in the 15th century, during the Aragonese rule of Sicily, with the financial support of Catalan merchants that were working in the city. Initially it was dedicated to

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, and only later the naming was switched to the current Santa

Eulalia of Barcelona Eulalia (c. 290 – February 12, 303), co-patron saint of Barcelona, was a 13-year-old Roman Christian virgin who was martyred in Barcelona during the persecution of Christians in the reign of emperor Diocletian (although the Sequence of Saint ...

, a saint of Catalan origin. The church was thoroughly rebuilt starting from 1630. Some of the construction was not completed until the 19th century. In 1714, the church was transferred to don Giuseppe Raimondi, who installed priest from Madonna della Volta alla Conceria. In 1823 an earthquake damaged the bell tower, which was subsequently demolished. After aerial bombardment in 1943 during the Second World War demolished the interior, only the facade remains.

Description

The church has a sober rectangular exterior, recalling an Ancient Roman triumphal arch, and with some similarities to the facade of Santa Maria della Catena by the harbor. It has three stories each vertically delineated with pilasters, with a Corinthian order at the base, and Doric orders above. The three arches which corresponded to the central nave and two flanking aisles have rounded arches in the second story. Above the portal are the remnants of a coat of arms of

King Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

, the blazon flanked by the wings of a Hapsburg eagle, and below, a

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

with the ensign of the

County of Barcelona The County of Barcelona ( la, Comitatus Barcinonensis, ca, Comtat de Barcelona) was originally a frontier region under the rule of the Carolingian dynasty. In the 10th century, the Counts of Barcelona became progressively independent, here ...

; these are flanked by four columns symbolizing the

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules ( la, Columnae Herculis, grc, Ἡράκλειαι Στῆλαι, , ar, أعمدة هرقل, Aʿmidat Hiraql, es, Columnas de Hércules) was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank t ...

swathed with a ribbon that should read ''plus ultra''. Finally, the upper order has four

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

s with busts of either Kings of Aragon or Roman emperors. The interior layout was that of the

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

plan, with some traces of 17th century frescoes. The octagonal dome is supported by pilasters and four columns built in Hyberian marble. The

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

was made of polychrome marbles, surmounted by a panel depicting the ''Creation'', with stars, the sun and the moon on a blue background. In the past it had an altarpiece depicting the ''Holy Trinity'' by

Gaspare Serenario Gaspare Serenario ( Palermo, Sicily 1707–1759) was an Italian painter, active mainly in a grand late Baroque style. Biography As a youth, he moved to Rome, where he lived for over thirty years. Along with the fellow Sicilian Olivio Sozzi, Se ...

, originally deriving from the church of San Giovanni dei Tartari. The transept chapels once had paintings depicting the ''Madonna of Monserrate'' and the ''Martyrdom of St Eulalia'' by Gerardo Astorino.Chiesa di S. Eulalia dei Catalani e il mistero dei Quadri Scomparsi
by Giacomo Cangialosi (12 March 2017).

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eulalia Palermo Roman Catholic churches in Palermo Renaissance architecture in Sicily