Chiesa di Santa Maria della Grotta al Cassaro - Palermo

The Church of Santa Maria della Grotta al Cassaro and the Collegio Massimo dei Jesuiti form the disused religious and monumental complex of the Society of Jesus. The entrance and stairwell that provide access to the current regional library are located in the former church. It was built from 1586 onwards

After the expulsion and suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1767 , all religious activities were interrupted and suspended until July 28, 1800. The church of the Collegio Massimo continued to be used by the schools . The religious were only allowed to engage in educational activities. In 1892 the complex was used as a national library.

The late sixteenth century construction appears compact and essential from the outside. The entrance portal is located in the middle. The internal rooms, transformed after the furnishing of the library, revolve around an airy porticoed courtyard with a double series of loggias, complemented by cut stone balustrades and a continuous barrier on the attic floor. The shield with the Jesuit symbol is placed in the curved tympanum.

The Chapel of San Giuseppe of the Gonzaga Institute, inaugurated in 1923, houses three Baroque style altars, made of valuable inlaid marble.

Willem Vandenameele