Chiesa di San Mamiliano (Ex Santa Cita) - Palermo

The church was built in 1586 on a pre- existing 14th-century church dedicated to the Tuscan saint St. Zita, with an adjacent hospital that became a Dominican monastery around the 15th century.

A second church was built next to the small 14th-century church in 1458; both were demolished for the construction of the current large church building, which began in 1586. The new church, designed by Giuseppe Giacalone in solemn late Renaissance forms, opened in 1603.

After the Second World War the building was extensively demolished , which changed the structure considerably. At that time, the church was adapted for other uses, including as a food store and courtroom.

After the war the church was reopened and dedicated to St. Mamiliano. The large nave and the wide transept have been preserved, behind which there are five chapels , including the central chapel with a deep choir. Fortunately, beautiful frescoes and interesting works of art by illustrious artists such as: Antonio Grano, Antonello Gagini, Filippo Paladini etc. have been preserved.

Particularly interesting is the Chapel of Maria SS. Del Rosario , a beautiful example of mixed marble decoration. The chapel, whose construction lasted from 1696 to 1722, is completely covered with sculpted marble panels depicting the ten Mysteries of the Rosary , sculpted by Gioacchino Vitagliano; of exceptional craftsmanship is the frontal altar, with incrustations of semi-precious stones, and the floor, consisting of several carved tombstones.

San Mamiliano de Palermo

He was probably born in Palermo, he became a bishop , but he was sent into exile by Genseric to Africa, in Carthage. Finally he retreated to the island of Montecristo , where he lived in the so-called Grotta di San Mamiliano.

According to legend, which has existed since at least the 17th century, the saint defeated a dragon (symbol of paganism) living in the same cave, causing a miraculous spring of water to flow at the site of the murder. He died on September 15, 460 and, according to legend , his death was manifested by a huge column of smoke rising over the mountains of the island or, according to others, by three shining lights.

The treasure

Popular legends and oral traditions mentioned the presence of a treasure under the altar of the Monastery of Saint Mamiliano on Montecristo, the island where the saint died, which were later rewritten by Alexandre Dumas in his famous novel The Count of Montecristo. At least two ancient documents mention the memory of a treasure on the island: in 1549 the Grand Duke of Tuscany advised Cosimo I against searching there due to the presence of pirates, while an expedition from Corsica in 1670 found only 'a few pignatti and vases full of ash'.

It therefore seems no coincidence that a hoard of gold coins was found under the altar in the church of San Mamiliano, but not in that of Montecristo but in Sovana in 2004. It concerns 498 coins that can be dated to the Emperors Leo I and Antemius, between 457 and 474, that is, shortly after the death of Mamiliano.

The coins are displayed in a museum, which opened on July 30, 2012.

Willem Vandenameele