San Matteo al Cassaro - Palermo

One of the most beautiful churches in Palermo , that of San Matteo (also called The Church of SS. Matteo and Mattia Apostoli) , stands out for its exquisite Baroque style and the numerous works of art within it. This jewel of Cassaro also has one of the most beautiful crypts in the city , a symbolic place for the cult of the dead in Sicily.

A church dedicated to the same saint existed in the 12th century before the current one ; it housed the first group of Dominicans who had just arrived in Palermo and was subsequently incorporated into the fourteenth-century structures of the Monastery of S. Caterina.

In 1599, Fra Galici, belonging to the order of the Little Observants , wanted to found a brotherhood in the old church of San Matteo , with the aim of helping the poor of Palermo , but also interceding for the souls in purgatory. This brotherhood, called the Miseremini , soon had a large following, thanks to its work in the alleys of the city and Brother Leonardo's reputation as a pious man.
When the community outgrew the small Norman-era building in which it operated, the search began for a new space that could accommodate believers and brothers. The site chosen was opposite the old headquarters , where the lawyer Don Mario Muta owned some private houses.
At first the owner refused to donate his houses to the community, but he soon changed his mind. According to legend , Don Mario Muta dreamed one night that his soul was on fire in purgatory, and this dream revelation was interpreted as a divine sign , prompting him to give up his possessions for free to the Miseremini .

The current building was built between 1634 and 1647 and was entrusted to the Confraternity of the Miseremini , which was responsible for celebrating masses in memory of the penitents in purgatory.

Of notable interest is the Baroque façade created by Carlo D'Aprile and Gaspare Guercio in 1660, which is enriched with columns, window frames, volutes and niches and various carvings , all topped by a central bell tower with three lights. Among the various ornaments, the three niches in which the statue of the Virgin Mary is located (in the center, above the main entrance) and Saints Matthew and Matthias on the sides stand out.

The interior has a basilica plan with three naves, a transept and a large rectangular chapel. The roof of the nave is rich in decorations and beautiful frescoes. The church is decorated with marble wall cladding, pictorial and stucco decorations and frescoes. Most important of these by Vito D'Anna to mention: "the apotheosis of Saints Matthew and Matthias" and "The souls released from purgatory" and, in the dome, "Triumph of the Virgin".

The twelve chapels (10 in the two outer naves and two larger ones in the side aisles) are equally rich in decorations and works, including some of the most beautiful paintings by Pietro Novelli .

In 1729, Giacomo Serpotta executed the stucco work that adorns the church; while the gold stuccowork and medallions between the arches are by Bartolomeo Sanseverino.

The Crypt of San Matteo is an underground chamber 36 meters long, located under the central nave of the church, with an altar for celebrations at the bottom, on the other side of the entrance.

It was built in the first half of the 18th century by the Miseremini Brotherhood, as a cemetery intended only for the brothers.
The approximately 200 niches placed on the walls of the crypt have an inward slope that varies depending on the height at which the deceased was placed. This was used by relatives to see their deceased during periodic visits. In fact, during that period the cult of the dead was very strong in Palermo, and relatives often visited the relative exhibited there.
Before being placed in the niches, the bodies were left to dry in special rooms equipped with drains, no longer visible in this crypt, but present in many other crypts in the city (for example that of Santa Maria dell'Itria dei Cocchieri ).
According to sources , although not a brother, the crypt also housed the remains of Giacomo Serpotta , as expressly requested in his will, and of Vito D'Anna.
When burial within the city walls was prohibited for hygienic reasons in the 19th century , all bodies in the crypt were transferred to a mass grave.

Every year, on Good Friday, the Church of San Matteo is the scene of an ancient and evocative procession of the simulacra of the Dead Christ and the Virgin of Sorrows.

Willem Vandenameele