San Giovanni degli Eremiti (St John of the Hermits) is an ancient former monastic church located on Via Benedettini #19 in the ancient quarter of Albergaria of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. It is about two blocks south from the Palazzo dei Normanni, adjacent to the church of San Giorgio in Kemonia. While the interior is virtually devoid of decoration or furnishings, the red Norman-Byzantine domes, the medieval cloister ruins, and garden make this small church a symbol of ancient Palermo.
San Giovanni degli EremitiDetail of the bell tower
A church and a Benedictine monastery existed at the site date prior to the 6th century. Pope Gregory the Great is said to have patronized its establishment. The seventh-century Pope Agatho took orders at this monastery. It is said that the Saracen conquerors closed or razed the monastery, perhaps converting the church to a mosque. After the Norman conquest, circa 1136, the site was restored by Roger II of Sicily to Benedictine Benedictine monks of Saint William of Vercelli .[2] The church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist.
It is not clear why the church gained the tag of Eremiti. While it is possible that it refers to the cloistered Benedictine monks (hermits, from Greekeremìtes, monks), but it could be that the name was derived from the nearby church of San Mercurio, known as Ermes in Greek.
In the 19th century, under the guidance of Giuseppe Patricolo, director of the Royal office for the conservation of monuments of Sicily, the structures were restored aiming for his perspective of their original medieval appearance.
Architectureedit
The church is notable for its brilliant red domes, which show clearly the persistence of Arab influences in Sicily at the time of its reconstruction in the 12th century, the Arab-Norman culture.[3] In her 1882 Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily, Frances Elliot described it as "... totally oriental... it would fit well in Baghdad or Damascus".[4] However, the red color of the domes are not original, as they were painted in this color by Patricolo who found pieces of red plaster on the domes and therefore decided to paint all the domes in red.
The church lies with a flank on a square construction. The church is on the Latin Cross plan with a nave and two aisles and three apses. Each of the square spans is surmounted by a dome. The presbytery, ending with a niche, has also a dome.
The cloister, enriched by a luxurious garden, is the best preserved part of the ancient monastery. It has notable small double columns with capitals decorated by vegetable motifs, which support ogival arches. It also includes an Arab cistern.
^"San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Palermo". Sacred Destinations. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
^Stanzione, Nicola (8 April 2019). "The Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti". palermoviva.it. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^Elliot, Frances (1882). Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz.
January 01, 1970
giovanni, degli, eremiti, john, hermits, ancient, former, monastic, church, located, benedettini, ancient, quarter, albergaria, city, palermo, region, sicily, italy, about, blocks, south, from, palazzo, normanni, adjacent, church, giorgio, kemonia, while, inte. San Giovanni degli Eremiti St John of the Hermits is an ancient former monastic church located on Via Benedettini 19 in the ancient quarter of Albergaria of the city of Palermo region of Sicily Italy It is about two blocks south from the Palazzo dei Normanni adjacent to the church of San Giorgio in Kemonia While the interior is virtually devoid of decoration or furnishings the red Norman Byzantine domes the medieval cloister ruins and garden make this small church a symbol of ancient Palermo Church of Saint John of the HermitsChiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti in Italian Exterior of the ChurchReligionAffiliationRoman CatholicProvinceArchdiocese of PalermoRiteRoman RiteLocationLocationPalermo ItalyGeographic coordinates38 06 35 N 13 21 17 E 38 10972 N 13 35472 E 38 10972 13 35472ArchitectureStyleArab Norman RomanesqueGroundbreaking6th centuryCompleted1132 1 UNESCO World Heritage SiteOfficial name Arab Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and MonrealeTypeCulturalCriteriaii ivDesignated2015 39th session Reference no 1487State Party ItalyRegionEurope and North America Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory edit nbsp San Giovanni degli Eremiti nbsp Detail of the bell tower A church and a Benedictine monastery existed at the site date prior to the 6th century Pope Gregory the Great is said to have patronized its establishment The seventh century Pope Agatho took orders at this monastery It is said that the Saracen conquerors closed or razed the monastery perhaps converting the church to a mosque After the Norman conquest circa 1136 the site was restored by Roger II of Sicily to Benedictine Benedictine monks of Saint William of Vercelli 2 The church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist It is not clear why the church gained the tag of Eremiti While it is possible that it refers to the cloistered Benedictine monks hermits from Greek eremites monks but it could be that the name was derived from the nearby church of San Mercurio known as Ermes in Greek In the 19th century under the guidance of Giuseppe Patricolo director of the Royal office for the conservation of monuments of Sicily the structures were restored aiming for his perspective of their original medieval appearance Architecture editThe church is notable for its brilliant red domes which show clearly the persistence of Arab influences in Sicily at the time of its reconstruction in the 12th century the Arab Norman culture 3 In her 1882 Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily Frances Elliot described it as totally oriental it would fit well in Baghdad or Damascus 4 However the red color of the domes are not original as they were painted in this color by Patricolo who found pieces of red plaster on the domes and therefore decided to paint all the domes in red The church lies with a flank on a square construction The church is on the Latin Cross plan with a nave and two aisles and three apses Each of the square spans is surmounted by a dome The presbytery ending with a niche has also a dome The cloister enriched by a luxurious garden is the best preserved part of the ancient monastery It has notable small double columns with capitals decorated by vegetable motifs which support ogival arches It also includes an Arab cistern See also editArab Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and Monreale History of medieval Arabic and Western European domesReferences edit https whc unesco org uploads nominations 1487 pdf bare URL PDF San Giovanni degli Eremiti Palermo Sacred Destinations Retrieved 21 March 2016 Stanzione Nicola 8 April 2019 The Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti palermoviva it Retrieved 8 April 2019 Elliot Frances 1882 Diary of an Idle Woman in Sicily Leipzig Bernhard Tauchnitz Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title San Giovanni degli Eremiti amp oldid 1105057086, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
