Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Padri Teatini - Palermo

The church was built between 1612 and 1645 according to a design by the Theatijn Giacomo Besio.

The church was damaged by bombing in 1943 , restored and reopened in 1966. The main facade was not completed until 1844 in neoclassical style; in the niche above the portal stands the statue of the titular saint; Below it is the coat of arms of the carpenters , who named their small church here after St. Elias.

The interior is grandiose, divided into three naves by tall monolithic columns, has a deep presbytery with a semicircular apse; The high dome rises on the arches of the transept. The interior decoration is particularly opulent : all ceilings are completely covered with frescoes; the walls and side chapels are covered with mixed marble ; the altars are decorated with elegant semi-precious stones ; even the wooden furniture is designed according to a calibrated baroque decorative spirit. On either side of the entrance are two marble holy water troughs , supported by stucco angels, made in the late 18th century by Ignazio Marabitti and Filippo Siragusa.

The nave's vault illustrates, with 17th-century frescoes by Filippo Tancredi, episodes from the 'life of Saint Gaetano' amid gilded stuccowork; in the sails of the arches can be seen the 'figures of the Apostles', begun in 1798 by Giuseppe Velasquez and completed by Vincenzo Manno. The dome was painted in 1734 with the 'Triumph of Saint Andrew of Avellino' by Guglielmo Borremans.

Below the church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini it is possible to visit the old underground church dedicated to the Madonna della Provvidenza where you can admire a small painting from 1610 depicting the crowned Madonna and Jesus . According to tradition, the painting granted many favors for centuries. In the church there is a spring known as the miraculous spring because, according to tradition, the water can cure all ailments.

Author: Willem Vandenameele