Ex Oratorio di Santa Maria del Sabato - Vicolo Meschita - Palermo

The Oratory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, known as the Oratory of the Sabbath, is located near the Church of San Nicolò da Tolentino , where the ancient Jewish neighborhoods of Guzzetta and Meschita once stood.

Built in 1617 , the Oratory has been the seat of several religious congregations, from the Congregation of the Craftsmen to the Company of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Francis Borgia, to the Congregation of the Cross and Martyrdom of Christ, known as the Sabbath, from which it takes its name.

Although the exterior of the building is in good condition, the interior has unfortunately suffered the ravages of time and neglect, being the subject of theft and numerous acts of vandalism.

In 2017, more than 500 years after the decree of the expulsion of the Jews from Palermo, signed by rulers Ferdinand and Isabella of Aragon, the Archbishop of Palermo, Corrado Lorefice, loaned the Oratory for free use to the local Jewish community , as a new place of study and prayer.

Willem Vandenameele