Description of the attraction
The Church of Jesus, also known as Santa Maria di Gesu and Casa Professa, is one of the most prominent Baroque churches in Palermo and throughout Sicily.
Monks from the Jesuit order arrived in Palermo in the middle of the 16th century, and at the end of the same century began construction of a church near their main house - Casa Professa. The project of the temple was developed by the Jesuit architect Giovanni Tristano. Initially, the church had one main nave with large transepts and several side chapels in the plan, but at the beginning of the 17th century, to give it a more majestic appearance, which was characteristic of Jesuit architecture, Natale Mazuccio added two side chapels to the main nave, removing the partitions between the chapels. In 1636, the solemn consecration of the new church took place.
In the 18th century, the interior of the church was decorated with marble bas-reliefs depicting the Blessings of the Shepherd and Adoration of the Magi by Gioacchino Vitaliano - both bas-reliefs have survived to this day. On the walls of one of the chapels, you can see the fresco "Adoration of the Magi", painted in the second half of the 18th century by Antonio Grano. Also in the church there is a high relief by Ignazio Marabitti "Glory to St. Luke".
In 1892, the Knight of the Order of Salvatore di Pietro, former rector of the Casa Professa, philanthropist, prefect of the seminary, member of the Theological College and the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Academy of National History, convinced Paolo Boselli, Italy's Minister of Education, to make the Church of Jesus a national monument.
During the air raids on Palermo during the Second World War, one of the bombs hit the dome of the church, causing it to collapse, along with most of the walls and frescoes in the altar and transepts. After two years of restoration work, the unique frescoes were restored, and in February 2009 the church was solemnly reopened - the first Mass was conducted by Paolo Romeo, Archbishop of Palermo.
