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, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , 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 province. The ...

. 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 inhabitant ...

, in the quarter of the

Loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

, 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. 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, Rosalia (added in 1651),

Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; ; died 108/140), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his Christian martyrs, martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This ...

(holding the palm-frond of martyrdom and menaced by a lion at his feet) and Francis of Sales (added 1751). The dome was completed in 1732. The ceiling decorated with coffered panels, frescoed by Antonio Manno. 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, wh ...

. 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 , when he was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to Malta. From there he moved to Sicily, where he was active the rest ...

. 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 provost ...

'' 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, and portraits. With some excursions to nearby cities, his whole life was spent in Florence. ...

.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 Gardella (1905–1999), Italian architect and designer * Ignazio Hugford (1703–1777), Italian pai ...

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