Sant’Ignazio all’Olivella e Oratorio

The story

The church of Sant’Ignazio all’Olivella was begun in 1598 for the fathers of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, who had arrived in Palermo a few years earlier. It stands where tradition places the house of the family of Santa Rosalia, the city’s patron saint.

Work continued throughout the 17th century and the façade, with its two bell towers, was completed in the 18th. The three-aisled interior is rich in marble, stucco and canvases by Sicilian and Neapolitan painters, with a chapel dedicated to Rosalia herself.

Next door is the Oratorio di San Filippo Neri, an 18th-century hall with stucco work and a frescoed ceiling. The congregation’s former convent now houses the Museo Archeologico Salinas, which opens onto the same square.

Why it is worth it

Piazza Olivella is one of the calmest squares in the centre, and the church dominates it with its two towers. Inside you find a restrained baroque, all pale marble and light, without the excess of other Palermo churches. Look for the chapel of Santa Rosalia and pause at the inlaid altars; then, if you find it open, step into the oratory next door, small and decorated with a grace that catches you off guard.