Oratorio di San Mercurio, Palermo

Last updated
Oratory of St Mercurius
Oratorio di San Mercurio
Oratorio San Mercurio.jpg
Exterior staircase and entry in an alley off Via dei Benedictini
Religion
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Province Archdiocese of Palermo
Rite Roman Rite
Location
Location Palermo, Italy
Geographic coordinates 38°06′35″N13°21′14″E / 38.10978°N 13.35398°E / 38.10978; 13.35398 Coordinates: 38°06′35″N13°21′14″E / 38.10978°N 13.35398°E / 38.10978; 13.35398

The Oratorio di San Mercurio is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located adjacent to the former Benedictine convent and church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

History

Interior towards main altar San Mercurio oratorio.jpg
Interior towards main altar

The oratory was founded in 1557 by an aristocratic confraternity known as the Compagnia di Santa Maria della Consolazione. The oratory was initially called Oratorio del Deserto e di San Mercurio. The oratory grew around a venerated Marian image found in a desolate spot outside of the city. The confraternity had charitable goals of aiding the sick in the Ospedale Grande of Palermo. and decorated over the next two centuries with a rich stucco decoration, including statues of saints and beatified members of the Carmelite order. The order was affiliated with a number of churches in Palermo, including the Carmine Maggiore a few blocks away.

The oratory hall is preceded by an elegant staircase built in 1719 and an antiroom with maiolica pavement and a fresco depicting Jesus visits the jailed St Mercurius. The interior of the hall was stuccoed in 1678 by Giacomo Serpotta. The oratory has a choir with an organ; the ceiling was frescoed (and stuccoed) with a Glory of St Mercurius while the main altarpiece is a canvas depicting the Vision of the Madonna and Child by St Mercurius. The maiolica pavement of the main hall was completed in 1714-1715 by Sebastiano Gurrello and Maurizio Vagolotta, based on a design by the architect-priest Giulio Di Pasquale. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giacomo Serpotta</span> Italian sculptor

Giacomo Serpotta was an Italian sculptor, active in a Rococo style and mainly working in stucco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Martino del Vescovo</span>

San Martino del Vescovo, also known as the Oratorio dei Buonomini di San Martino, is a Roman Catholic parish church, located in the small piazza of the same name in Florence, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratory of Gesù Pellegrino</span>

The Oratory of Gesù Pellegrino, also called the Oratorio dei Pretoni, is a Roman Catholic prayer hall or small church found on the corner of Via San Gallo and via degli Arazzieri in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Croce, Padua</span>

Santa Croce is a Roman Catholic church located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele 178 in Padua, Veneto region, Italy.

The Oratorio di San Carlo is a Baroque-style prayer hall located inside the church of San Carlo al Porto, located on Strada Porto Naviglio in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

The Oratory of San Bovo is a Roman Catholic prayer hall located on via Del Torresino #4 in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sant'Orsola, Palermo</span>

The Church of Saint Ursula of the Blacks 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Caterina, Palermo</span>

Santa Caterina d'Alessandria or Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a Roman Catholic church with a main facade on Piazza Bellini, and a lateral Western facade facing the elaborate Fontana Pretoria, in the historic quarter of Kalsa in the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. In front of the main facade, across the piazza Bellini, rise the older churches of San Cataldo and Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, while across Piazza Pretoria is the Theatine church of San Giuseppe and the entrance to the Quattro Canti. Refurbished over the centuries, the church retains elements and decorations from the Renaissance, Baroque, and late-Baroque (Rococo) eras. This church is distinct from the Oratorio di Santa Caterina found in the Olivella neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santissimo Salvatore, Palermo</span>

The Church of Most Holy Saviour is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church located on #396 of the ancient main street of the Palermo, the Cassaro, presently Via Vittorio Emanuele, in the ancient quarter of the Albergaria of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sant'Ignazio all'Olivella</span>

The Church of Saint Ignatius is a Baroque church of Palermo. It is located in the ancient neighborhood of the Olivella, in the quarter of the Loggia, within the historic centre of Palermo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo</span> Chapel in Palermo, Italy

The Oratory of Saint Lawrence is a Baroque oratory of Palermo. It is located near the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratory of Rosario di San Domenico</span>

The Oratory of the Rosary of Saint Dominic is a Baroque oratory of Palermo. It is located near the Church of Saint Dominic, in the quarter of the Loggia, within the historic centre of Palermo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiesa delle Anime Sante, Enna</span>

The Chiesa delle Anime Sante del Purgatorio or Church of the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a Roman Catholic church located on the Piazza Francesco Paolo Neglia and Via del Mercato in the town of Enna in Sicily, Italy. At a diagonal, across the street stands the church of San Tommaso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Giovanni dei Napoletani, Palermo</span> Church building in Palermo, Italy

The San Giovanni dei Napoletani (English: St John of the Neapolitans is a late-Baroque or neoclassical church of Palermo. It is located in the quarter of Kalsa of the historic centre of Palermo. It is located diagonally in front of the church of Santa Maria della Catena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratorio del Carminello, Palermo</span>

The Oratorio del Carminello is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located on Via Porta San Agata in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

The Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located in the quarter of the Castellamare within the historic center of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. The site is best known for the remarkable stucco tableaux scenes composed during 1687-1718 by Giacomo Serpotta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratorio di San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, Palermo</span>

The Oratorio di San Giuseppe dei Falegnami is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located across the Via Giuseppe d'Alessi from the church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratorio dei Bianchi, Palermo</span>

The Oratorio dei Bianchi is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located on the Piazzeta dei Bianchi, about equidistant between the churches of Santa Maria dello Spasimo and Santa Teresa alla Kalsa in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratorio di Santa Caterina, Palermo</span> Chapel in Palermo, Italy

The Oratory of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a Baroque oratory located attached to the church of Sant'Ignazio all'Olivella, in the quarter of the Castellammare of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oratorio della Carità di San Pietro</span>

The Oratorio della Carità di San Pietro is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located on Via Maqueda #206, adjacent to the church of Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi, in the ancient quarter of Seralcadi of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

References