Oratorio di San Lorenzo - Palermo

The monastery was built in the second half of the 16th century by the Compagnia di San Francesco in San Lorenzo, founded in 1564.

It is accessed through a courtyard with a fountain, which is overlooked by the rooms of the rectory. The oratory has a hall with a rectangular chapel and the rich stuccowork that adorns the walls, executed between 1699 and 1706 by Giacomo Serpotta, is of considerable value. Scenes from the life of St Francis are depicted in the small squares on the right side of the building and on the opposite wall are those illustrating episodes from the life of St Lawrence; all further embellished by a series of putti and friezes, introducing a cheerful and lively note.

Eight large allegorical statues of the Virtues are arranged along the longitudinal walls; two others, Charity and Hospitality, are placed on either side of the arch that introduces the great chapel, on which rests the figure of "Saint Francis Receiving the Cord of the Order".

The altar , with a marble mensa and gilded bronze, was made according to a design by Giacomo Amato; on the back wall, flanked by pilasters and closed by a curved tympanum, stood the 'Nativity' painted by Caravaggio in 1609 and stolen in 1969. The church has valuable ebony wall chairs inlaid with mother of pearl and other furnishings.

Until 1969, the year it was stolen, a valuable painting by Caravaggio, 'The Nativity' from 1609, hung on the high altar. Recently the work has returned to its place with a faithful reproduction, made in one piece using high-tech techniques that can perfectly reproduce every detail of the original.

Willem Vandenameele