Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Serpotta, who made a name for himself by introducing rococo to Sicilian churches. Of
special note is the elaborate
Battle of Lepanto
on the entrance wall. Depicting the Christi-
an victory over the Turks, it's framed by stucco drapes held by hundreds of naughty cher-
ubs who were modelled on Palermo's street urchins.
The side walls are awash with further examples of Serpotta's virtuosity, with sculpted
white stucco figures holding gilded objects, including swords, shields and a lute, and a
golden snake (Serpotta's symbol) curling around a picture frame on the left wall.
This chapel is associated with four other nearby churches, collectively known as the Te-
sori della Loggia (Treasures of the Loggia). Three of the churches (Santa Cita, San Gior-
gio dei Genovesi and Santa Maria di Valverde) are free; a combined ticket (available here)
offers a small discount on admission to the remaining chapel, the Oratorio del Rosario in
San Domenico.
Oratorio del Rosario in
San Domenico
CHAPEL
(Via dei Bambinai 2; admission €2.50, for joint ticket incl Oratorio del Rosario in Santa Cita €4; 9am-6pm Mon-
Fri, 9am-3pm Sat)
This small chapel was commissioned by the Society of the Rosary of San
Domenico and is dominated by Anthony Van Dyck's fantastic blue-and-red altarpiece,
The Virgin of the Rosary with St Dominic and the Patronesses of Palermo
. Van Dyck left
Palermo in fear of the plague, and painted the work in Genoa in 1628.
Also gracing the chapel are Giacomo Serpotta's amazingly elaborate stuccos
(1710-17), vivacious and whirling with figures. Serpotta's name meant 'lizard' or 'small
snake', and he often included one of the reptiles in his work as a sort of signature - see if
you can find one here!
Chiesa di Santa Cita
(Via Valverde; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri)
This 14th-century church is named after the patron saint of
domestic servants. The Dominican priests who acquired the church in the 16th century
cleverly allowed rich families to bury their dead here, thus both collecting income for the
priests' monastery and endowing the church with particularly lavish funerary chapels.
There are also some sculptures by Antonio Gagini.
CHURCH
Chiesa di San Giorgio dei
