Church of the Sacred Heart - Monreale

The Chiesa del Sacro Cuore was built from 1554. The works lasted until the eighteenth century. (central dome with the date 1742).

Alessandro Farnese, Archbishop of Monreale from 1536 to 1573, was responsible for the decision to build the Church of the Sacred Heart and the buildings next to it and entrusted it to the Jesuits : we are in the aftermath of the Council of Trent, the new order has been present in Monreale since 1552 and the college has 240 students. Two centuries pass and in 1767 the Jesuits are expelled from the Catholic kingdoms and thus also from Sicily. The church became a presbytery and was entrusted to a secular priest.

In 1792, Archpriest Benedetto Grimaldi founded the Educatorio del Santissimo Cuore di Gesù, which provided free shelter to 60 poor girls. The building underwent several setbacks, was restored and opened for worship in 2000 . It used to be the seat of the Teutonic Order, but after the departure of this order from Monreale it became the collegiate church of the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem in 2019.

One of the special works in the church is the 15th-century wooden sculpture Virgin and Jesus that is venerated here.

Willem Vandenameele