Basilica della Santissima Trinità del Cancelliere (Basilica della Magione) - Palermo

In the Middle Ages, the place where the church is located was rich in gardens and vegetable gardens south of the then city. The 'Mansio Sanctae Trinitatis', which belonged to the Teutonic Knights from 1197 to 1492, was built around the middle of the 12th century. It is one of the last products of Sicilian architecture from the Norman era.

The complex was surrounded by a large garden (" viridarium magnum "), so large that in times of famine it was planted with wheat to feed the population.

The complex was expanded to enormous proportions in the 15th century; the church was elevated to commenda in 1492 and several side chapels were opened. A hospital was built for ethnic Germanic pilgrims coming or going to the Holy Land. In the Baroque period, the church was covered with a thick layer of plaster that hid the original structure. The current appearance of the monument is the result of drastic restorations carried out between 1875 and the 1920s , during which successive layers were completely removed, with the intention of restoring the original late Norman monument.

The exterior displays a rich variety of decorative motifs and bears the unmistakable marks of the architectural culture of the Arab world.

The complex is accessible via the Baroque portal built in 1717 at the entrance to the garden in front of the church. Inside, the church has the slenderness typical of the Gothic style, with ogival arches supported by colonnades.

The works of art present are admirable, although they are not contemporaneous with the construction of the church. On the north side there is a cloister which retains two of the original portico naves with cross arches, set on pairs of columns with elegant capitals. Behind the baptistery is a Baroque oratory with a mixed marble altar and a 17th-century crucifix.

The wooden mezzanine above the entrance houses the majestic organ.

willem vandenameele