Church of San Giuseppe dei Padri Teatini - Palermo

The church was built between 1612 and 1645 according to a design by the Theatine Giacomo Besio.

The church was damaged by bombings in 1943, restored, and reopened in 1966. The main façade was only completed in 1844 in neoclassical style; in the niche above the portal is the statue of the titular saint; below it is the coat of arms of the carpenters, who named their small church here after St. Elias.

The interior is grandiose, divided into three naves by high monolithic columns, featuring a deep presbytery with a semicircular apse; above the arches of the transept rises the high dome. The interior decoration is particularly lavish: all the ceilings are fully covered with frescoes; the walls and side chapels are adorned with mixed marble; the altars are equipped with elegant decorations in semi-precious stones; even the wooden furniture is designed according to a calibrated baroque decorative spirit. On either side of the entrance stand two marble holy water fonts, supported by stucco angels, made in the late 18th century by Ignazio Marabitti and Filippo Siragusa.

The vault of the nave illustrates, with 17th-century frescoes by Filippo Tancredi, episodes from the 'life of Saint Gaetano' amidst gilded stucco work; in the sails of the arches are the 'figures of the Apostles', started in 1798 by Giuseppe Velasquez and completed by Vincenzo Manno. The dome was painted in 1734 with the 'Triumph of Saint Andrew of Avellino' by Guglielmo Borremans.

Under the church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini, it is possible to visit the old underground church dedicated to the Madonna della Provvidenza where a small painting from 1610 can be admired depicting the crowned Madonna and Jesus. According to tradition, the painting granted many favors for centuries. In the church, there is a spring known as the miraculous spring because the water, according to tradition, can heal all ailments.

Willem Vandenameele