Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio
Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio Parrocchia S. Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana ( Norman-Arab-Byzantine, Baroque | |
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Groundbreaking | 1143 |
Completed | (restoration on 19th century) |
Europe and North America |
The Church of St. Mary of the Admiral (Italian: Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio), also called Martorana, is the seat of the Parish of San Nicolò dei Greci (Albanian: Klisha e Shën Kollit së Arbëreshëvet), overlooking the Piazza Bellini, next to the Norman church of San Cataldo, and facing the Baroque church of Santa Caterina in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy.
The church is a
The church is characterized by a multiplicity of styles that meet, since, through the succession of centuries, it was enriched by various tastes in art, architecture and culture. Today, it stands as a church-historical monument, and subject to protection.
Since 3 July 2015 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
History
The eponym Ammiraglio ("admiral") derives from the Syrian Christian admiral and principal minister of King Roger II of Sicily, George of Antioch, whose palace and property overlapped with the area, and who first patronized its establishment. After approximately 100 years under Arab control, Palermo was named the capital of Kingdom of Sicily. The Norman leaders appreciated the artistic qualities found in the Muslim script and incorporated it into the interiors of their architecture, including in this church. At the same time, Greek was a prevalent language in Mediterranean society, serving as legal language.[3] The foundation charter of the church (which was initially Eastern Orthodox), in Koine Greek and Arabic, is preserved and dates to 1143; construction may already have begun at this point. The church had certainly been completed by the death of George in 1151, and he and his wife were interred in the narthex. In 1184 the Arab traveler Ibn Jubayr visited the church, and later devoted a significant portion of his description of Palermo to its praise, describing it as "the most beautiful monument in the world." After the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 the island's nobility gathered in the church for a meeting that resulted in the Sicilian crown being offered to Peter III of Aragon.[4]
In 1193–94, a female
The nuns of the Martorana were famous for their marzipan, shaped and dyed to resemble various fruits, known as Frutta di Martorana, still sold in pastry shops of Palermo.
In 1937 the church returned to the
The parish of San Nicolò dei Greci does not have a real parish territory, but is the reference point for 15,000 Arbëreshë (the Albanian community of Sicily historically settled in the province of Palermo) residing in the city.
Since 2015, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
Names
The church was traditionally known as "Saint Nicholas of the Greeks", where the term "Greek" meant the adoption of the
The church is now also known as "Parrocchia San Nicolò degli Albanesi", or "Famullia / Klisha e Shën Kollit i Arbëreshëvet në Palermë in Arbëresh language.
Other version include Klisha Arbëreshe Palermë ("The Arbëreshe Church in Palermo") or simply Marturanë. The title "Parrocchia San Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana" means that the Italo-Albanian parish is now based in the Martorana church, and not at the initial location next to the Italo-Albanian Seminary.
Liturgy and rite
The
The languages
A special celebration for the Arbëreshë population is the Theophany or Blessing of the waters on 6 January (Ujët e pagëzuam);[11] the most important festival is Easter (Pashkët), with the oriental rituals of strong spirituality of Holy Week (Java e Madhe) and the singing of Christos anesti – Krishti u ngjall (Christ is risen). On 6 December occurs the feast of Saint Nicholas (Dita e Shën Kollit).[12]
Architecture
The original church was built in the form of a compact
Certain elements of the original church, in particular its exterior decoration, show the influence of Islamic architecture on the culture of Norman Sicily. A frieze bearing a dedicatory inscription runs along the top of the exterior walls; although its text is in Greek, its architectural form references the Islamic architecture of north Africa.
Interior
The church is renowned for its 12th century mosaics executed by craftsmen working in the Byzantine style. The mosaics show many iconographic and formal similarities to the roughly contemporary programs in the Cappella Palatina, in Monreale Cathedral, and in Cefalù Cathedral, although they were probably executed by a distinct atelier.[18]
The walls display two mosaics taken from the original Norman façade, depicting King
The nave dome is occupied by the traditional byzantine image of
The newer part of the church is decorated with later frescoes of comparatively little artistic significance. The frescoes in the middle part of the walls are from the 18th century, attributed to the flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans.
See also
- Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale
- Arbëreshë
- Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi
- History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
Notes
- ^ "Concatedral Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Palermo, Palermo, Italy (Italo-Albanese)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- Eastern churches) and Albanian (the language of the Italo-Albanian faithful, the Arbëreshë people).
- ^ Gabrieli, Francesco (1964). "Greeks and Arabs in the Central Mediterranean Area". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 18: 57–65 – via JSTORE.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 15–21.
- ^ "History of Islam in southern Italy", Wikipedia, 4 January 2024, retrieved 2 April 2024
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 21.
- ^ N° 1 PALERMO, DOMENICA DELL'ORTODOSSIA PRESSO LA CHIESA DELLA MARTORANA, 13 Febbraio 2013
- ^ N°4 DOMENICA DELL'ORTODOSSIA A PALERMO CHIESA DELLA MARTORANA, 13 Febbraio 2013
- ^ III° Domenica di Quaresima Venerazione della Santa Croce, Parrocchia S. Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana
- ^ Matrimonio in rito bizantino alla Martorana a Palermo
- ^ Tα Άγια Θεοφάνεια, Teofania, Palermo, San Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana, 6 gennaio
- ^ CHIESA DELLA MARTORANA PALERMO / FESTA DI SAN NICOLA 6 DICEMBRE 2015
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 29–30.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 42ff.
- ^ For the text of the inscription, see Lavagnini, "L'epigramma."
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 35ff.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 66.
- ^ Kitzinger, Mosaics, 261-62.
Sources
- Durose, Steven; Friedman, Sophie; Ochterbeck, Cynthia Clayton (2020). Sicily (in Spanish). Greenville, SC. OCLC 1155371390.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Patrizia Fabbri, Palermo e Monreale (Bonechi, 2005)
- Irving Hexham and David Bershad, The Christian Travelers' Guide to Italy (Zondervan, 2001)
- Ernst Kitzinger, with Slobodan Ćurčić, The Mosaics of St. Mary's of the Admiral in Palermo (Washington, 1990). ISBN 0-88402-179-3
- Bruno Lavagnini, "L'epigramma e il committente," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 41 (1987), 339–50.