Sant'Orsola, Palermo explained

Building Name:Church of Saint Ursula
Native Name:Chiesa di Sant'Orsola
Location:Palermo, Italy
Coordinates:38.113°N 13.363°W
Religious Affiliation:Roman Catholic
Rite:Roman Rite
Province:Archdiocese of Palermo
Architecture:yes
Architecture Style:Sicilian Baroque
Year Completed:1662

The Church of Saint Ursula of the Blacks (Italian: Chiesa di Sant'Orsola dei Negri) is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church located in the central Via Maqueda #110, adjacent to the Palazzo Comitini, in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo, Region of Sicily, Italy.

History

The church was built for the "Compagnia di Sant'Orsola" (Brotherhood of Saint Ursula), a lay confraternity founded in 1564 in the neighboring church of Santi Quaranta Martiri Pisani al Casalotto. The tag dei Negri refers to the black gowns worn by the members of the Confraternity during processions.

The church was open to the public in 1662.[1] The nave, and maybe the entire building, was designed by Giacomo Amato. In 1672, the church was refurbished with a rich decoration of stucco and painting.[1] The nave ceiling was frescoed with a depiction of the Glory of St Ursula by Gaspare Serenari. In the following century another refurbishment was made. The stucco decorations of Giacomo Serpotta for some of the chapels include multiple macabre skeletal representations.

Art

Oil on canvas:

Frescoes:

The pillars are decorated with ovals representing the patron saints of Palermo: Lucy, Christina, Agatha, Ninfa, Olivia and Rosalia by the workshop of Pietro Novelli.

References

  1. Web site: Gaspare Palermo, Guida istruttiva per potersi conoscere tutte le magnificenze della Città di Palermo, Volume terzo, Palermo, Reale Stamperia, 1816, p. 122-124. Palermo. Gaspare. 1816.

External links