Chiesa di sant’Orsola

In 1590, the Oratory of Saint Ursula was constructed near the Church of the Forty Holy Martyrs in Pisani al Casalotto. In 1662, the current structure was completed. The first cycle of interior decorations began in 1672, with a second phase of embellishments occurring in the following century. In the 21st century, Serpotta's decorations were restored.

The facade is marked by horizontal ribbing and pairs of natural stone pilasters, with a double pair framing the doorway. These lead up to a massive entablature that separates the two levels. The ornate portal is distinguished by three sculpted skulls on the architrave, symbolizing the compassionate burial practices of the Compagnia dei Negri. The lateral pilasters feature the recurring decorative motif of the “purging soul.”

In the second level, the inner pairs of pilasters frame a richly decorated window adorned with angels on each side and topped with an arched pediment. Two corner loggias with balustrades flank the window; on the right, one of these loggias is completed with a third level and functions as a bell tower.

The triangular pediment displays a human figure enveloped in flames along with other decorative elements, serving as a reminder of human mortality and the soul’s redemption through atonement. The facade’s finials include volute decorations, and a skull is positioned at the top of the structure as a symbol of reflection on life’s transience and the soul’s future aspirations. The counter-facade contains a stucco pediment framing the portal.

 

 

 

A few years ago the Serpotta's decorations were restored.

The building is a Baroque structure with a Renaissance facade, featuring a single nave with interconnected side chapels. The walls are adorned with magnificent stuccoes by the Serpotta workshop, as well as by collaborators Bartolomeo Sanseverino and Gaspare Firriolo. The chapels house paintings by Zoppo di Gangi, Pietro Novelli, Antonio Manno, Giuseppe Patania, and other notable artists and craftsmen.

The nave, designed by architect Giacomo Amato, who spread the ideas of Roman architect Francesco Borromini, is frescoed with The Glory of Saint Ursula by Gaspare Serenari, along with Faith and Charity from 1756. The pillars are decorated with ovals framing images of Palermo’s patron saints: Saint Lucy, Saint Christina, Saint Agatha, Saint Nympha, Saint Olivia, and Saint Rosalia, from the workshop of Pietro Novelli.

Right Nave

First bay: Chapel of Saint Anne. The altar holds a 17th-century painting by Pietro Novelli depicting Saint Anne and the young Mary, considered possibly the penultimate work of Novelli.

Second bay: Chapel of Saint Ursula. The altar holds a painting of the Martyrdom of Saint Ursula by Pietro Novelli from 1642, along with an 18th-century wooden reliquary and a wooden Christ Deposed. (Christ Deposed refers to a depiction of Jesus Christ after he has been taken down from the cross, also known as the Descent from the Cross or the Deposition. In Christian art, it represents the moment after the crucifixion when Christ’s body is lowered from the cross and prepared for burial. This scene often includes figures like Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and other followers mourning and reverently caring for his body. It’s a solemn and poignant image intended to reflect on the sorrow and sacrifice of Jesus’s death.)

Third bay: Chapel of the Souls in Purgatory. The altar features the painting Salvation of the Souls in Purgatory, framed by two splendid stucco angels by Giacomo Serpotta. Two skeletons, symbols of the Company of Saint Ursula, crown two medallions: the left oval depicts Saint Rosalia, while the right shows the Immaculate Virgin. The high-relief “theater” scenes in the arch’s intrados depict Elijah Fed by the Angel and Elijah and the Altar of Fire, both created by Giacomo Serpotta in 1696.

Left Nave

First bay: Chapel of the Holy Family. The altar holds a painting of the Holy Family and the Holy Spirit.

Second bay: Chapel of the Crucifix. An 18th-century wooden crucifix is surrounded by symbols of Christ’s Passion (including the Sun and Moon, a sword with a severed ear, a pitcher of water, a rooster, a chalice, a hand, and others). The altar table holds a painting of the Mater Dolorosa.

Third bay: Chapel of Saint Jerome, originally dedicated to Saint Ursula. The altar displays a painting of Saint Jerome in His Study by Gaspare Vazzano, possibly from the nearby oratory of the Church of Saint Anthony Abbot. The altar table houses wooden statues of Saints Cosmas and Damian, restored in 2017.

Main Altar

Behind the imposing main altar made of multicolored marble (including rare Custonaci red marble), is The Deposition and the Three Marys by Giuseppe Patania, a 17th-century wooden Crucifix, and a tabernacle adorned with lapis lazuli and precious stones. The frontal panels are richly decorated with sacred scenes in wooden bas-reliefs and multicolored marbles.

On either side are large paintings depicting The Pool of Bethesda (Healing of the Paralytic) and The Descent of Christ into Limbo by Antonio Manno. The ceiling vault is frescoed with The Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Gaspare Serenari, with two large organ galleries flanking the scene.

On the altar’s pediment, in the central sail of the apse vault, amid stucco decorations and sculpted groups of cherubs, angels, and clouds, there is a large golden sunburst containing the Trinitarian triangle inscribed with the name Yahweh.

 

 

 

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