Chiesa di Santa Maria della Mercede - Palermo

It is a prayer building in the historic center of Palermo and dates back to 1482.

The building stands on a large terrace in the Seracaldio district, accessible via a staircase whose steps start from an alley in the Mercato del Capo.

The stone portal, with decorative phytoform bas-reliefs on the architrave, has a broken tympanum with a votive aedicule, housing the statue of the Madonna della Mercede . According to popular tradition, the statue was recovered from the Cape by sailors and placed in that position to protect the neighborhood and the market.

The interior has a single nave with wall chapels, separated by pilasters.

The Legend of the Sister of Mercede tells of a ghost that haunts the church of Santa Maria della Mercede in Palermo.

Legend has it that the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria della Mercede, located in the Capo district of Palermo, where a monastery once stood, haunts the ghost of a nun, who remains motionless all night looking at Palazzo Serenario.
The locals think it is the ghost of a nun looking for her daughter . It is said that after giving birth to a child due to violence, the woman was forced to lock herself in the Capuchin monastery and never see her child again.
It is believed that the legend is related to a story that actually took place in the eighteenth century . It is said that a craftsman had done some work for a lord of the city, but when the master craftsman presented the bill, the nobleman thought the price was too high and had him struck. Not satisfied, he also had his daughter 'Ngela' kidnapped and abused . The girl returned home with the fruit of violence in her womb. To hide the shame, her father had her imprisoned in the Capuchin Monastery , built by the "Mercedari" brotherhood. After giving birth to a girl , Ngela officially took her vows and never saw her own daughter again, who was adopted and then, it is said, worked as a maid at Palazzo Serenario. In the place where the ghost of the Mercede nun looks.

Willem Vandenameele