Church of the Holy Savior in Palermo
The Church of the Santissimo Salvatore in Palermo has the particularity of having an elliptical plan and an ovoid dome surrounded by a walkway from which you can enjoy a 360 ° view of the city.
The church was erected in 1072 at the behest of Roberto d'Altavilla, and intended as a place of worship for the annexed monastery of the Basilian cloistered nuns. Over the centuries, the entire building was rebuilt and enlarged several times thanks to the substantial bequests and income that the nuns received. At the time of construction, the church of S.S. Salvatore had a completely different configuration from the one we know now: with a basilica plan, it developed on three naves with three chapels on each side, and the façade facing the current s.s. hill. Salvatore, to the east, as required by Byzantine architecture. In 1682, the nuns wanted to expand the church and enrich it in the decorations and furnishings. Following this remodeling, entrusted to the project of Paolo Amato, Jesuit and architect of the Senate, the building lost its Norman features and took on a fully Baroque appearance. On that occasion, an elliptical plan model inserted in a decagonal structure was adopted. Niches were created on the façade and the orientation of the church was distorted in order to bring the main entrance to the side of the Cassaro, the oldest and most noble street in Palermo.
The sumptuous interior is of great value, entirely decorated with polychrome marbles, stuccos and frescoes. Characteristic is the gallery that the Basilian nuns could walk along the entire perimeter of the church to attend religious services undisturbed. Vito D'Anna deals with the interior decoration, which took place in the Bourbon period: The healing of a child through the intercession of San Basilio and the Sermon of San Basilio, the miracle of San Basilio, the allegorical figures of the Fortress, Prudence, Temperance and Justice in the vestibule, those of Faith and Charity in the pendentives. We also remember the immense Apotheosis of San Basilio, also by Vito D’Anna, today unfortunately very fragmented and deteriorated.
