Tag: stucco

• October 22, 2015

  A Glimpse of Oratorio Santa Cita

  The Oratorio di SS. Rosario in Santa Cita was built in the 1600s. Oratories were meeting halls of confraternities or religious societies. In Palermo, there are a number of oratories that were built in the Baroque era. The Oratorio di SS. Rosario in Santa Cita was decorated with the magnificent stucco-work of Giacomo Serpotta (1656-1732).…

• May 25, 2015

  Erythraean Sibyl

  Throughout the ancient Mediterranean, sibyls–priestesses, prophetesses, and seers who were described as having healing powers inspired by Apollo–responded to faithful pilgrims’ requests for guidance and grace. These women were well-known for their work, attracting visitors from far and wide. The most famous is perhaps the Delphic Sibyl (at Delphi in Greece). The Cumaean Sibyl, who…

• December 23, 2014

  Giacomo’s Stucco

  The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Palermo houses sculptor Giacomo Serpotta’s (1656-1732) stucco statues, each depicting one of ten of the 16 Franciscan Virtues–Humility, Compassion, Prayer, Faithfulness, Peacemaking, Modesty, Theology, Charity, Truth, Hospitality. Using a technique called allustsratura, Serpotta sculpted the statues in 1723. Can you guess which Virtue this statue represents?

• April 30, 2014

  Baroque-style Confession in Palermo

  This little alcove is an ornate, baroque version of where one goes for confession. Look closely. The priest is waiting for you behind the oval shaped, brass screen. Be careful what you say, because the jam-packed mix of marble, stucco, and fresco designs of this spot–Palermo’s Chiesa di Santa Caterina, built between 1566 and 1596…