Description of the attraction
Santa Maria dello Spasimo is a dilapidated convent church in Palermo, where Raphael's painting “The Way of the Cross” (also known as “Sicilian Spasimo” because of its location) was once seen. The canvas depicting the fall of Jesus under the weight of the cross was acquired specifically for this church in 1520. Later, the painting was privately owned for a long time, until the Viceroy of Sicily, Ferdinando d'Ayala, bought it and presented it to the Spanish king Philip V. Today, the creation of the great Raphael can be seen in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The history of the construction of the Church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo dates back to 1506, when the local lawyer Giacomo Basilico donated a plot of land in the Palermo region of Kalsa to the monks from the Monte Oliveto monastery on the condition that a temple in honor of the Suffering Mother of God would be erected on it. Construction began in 1509 but was never completed. At that time, the residents of the city, due to the threat of an attack by Turkish troops, began to restore and strengthen the defensive walls, in particular in 1537 a defensive moat was laid on the territory of the church under construction.
And 30 years later, the municipality of Palermo bought this land for military needs, and the monks were forced to leave the unfinished monastery. However, the plans of the city administration were not destined to come true, and from 1582 the church began to be used for public performances. Then an infirmary was arranged inside - in the 17th century an epidemic raged in Palermo. And even later, a warehouse was located within the walls of the unfinished church. In the middle of the 18th century, the vaults of the central nave of Santa Maria dello Spasimo collapsed and were never rebuilt. For nearly one and a half hundred years - from 1855 to 1985 - the church was used as a hospital and shelter for the poor. And today it is a kind of cultural center, which hosts exhibitions, music and theater shows.
