Chiesa di San Gregorio Papa al Capo - Palermo

On this spot there was a Gregorian monastery named after Saint Silvia. However, the monastery complex was destroyed by the Arabs in 842. The church is rebuilt from 1320 - 1333.

In 1866, the year of the suppression of the religious orders, the church and monastery were used as a food store and public school until August 15, 1920, the day the Augustinians restored worship. It is currently the headquarters and student residence of the Discalced Augustinians

The current church, begun in the second half of the 17th century , has a wide, three-part facade marked by stone pilasters and cornices, into which the main portal and two other side openings not belonging to the church are inserted.

The single-nave interior is sober and elegant : the hall is completely plastered and finished with 18th-century white stucco with gilded brushstrokes. There are three short chapels on each side. On the left, a deep quadrangular chapel, dedicated to St. Silvia, has a background decorated with stuccowork simulating a portal; on the sides of the pilasters are two female statues; The round tympanum contains an image of the Eternal Father. The chapel leads to the sacristy which is furnished with 17th century walnut cupboards.

Willem Vandenameele