Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti
In Palermo, Chiesa di San Giovanni degli Eremiti stands as a Norman Romanesque church with vivid red domes. The domes were restored during the nineteenth century by architect Giuseppe Patricolo. Its exterior combines square and circular forms, revealing Islamic and Byzantine influences alongside Norman design.
King Roger II commissioned the rebuilding between 1130 and 1148. The complex originally served as a Benedictine monastery near Palermo’s Royal Palace. Arab rule brought destruction and probable conversion into a mosque before Christian worship returned. Later restoration removed surrounding structures while preserving the building’s essential form.
Inside, a pointed arch divides the nave, while three semicircular apses shape the transept. Five cubic units topped by domes repeat across the nave and transept. A rectangular cloister adds pointed arches resting on paired columns. Islamic building remains within the complex preserve another visible layer of Palermo’s history.
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- Palermo
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