Martorana

Welcome to Piazza Bellini, located at the very heart of the historic center of Palermo. As you stand in this magnificent public square, direct your gaze toward the extraordinarily dignified sanctuary rising before you. …

Did you know that the monumental entrance you are standing before today was not originally built as the doorway to the church, but is actually the lower level of an independent square belltower constructed in the twelfth century.…

Did you know that inside this entrance hall stands the absolute oldest Byzantine mosaic in all of Sicily depicting a monarch receiving his royal crown directly from the hands of Jesus Christ rather than from the Pope. These…

Did you know that the wooden beams directly supporting the base of this sacred Christian dome bear extensive painted inscriptions written in Arabic celebrating Christian liturgical hymns. Standing directly underneath the central…

Did you know that in the late seventeenth century, Benedictine nuns destroyed the original twelfth century Byzantine central apse of this church and replaced it with a lavish Baroque altar decorated with intricate colored marble…

Did you know that the famous colorful marzipan fruit sweets known worldwide as Frutta di Martorana were invented right here inside the convent attached to this church. Today, these marzipan delicacies represent the culinary…

As we conclude our tour of the Church of Santa Maria dell Ammiraglio, known affectionately as the Martorana, we reflect upon a monument that is far more than a static museum of the past. From the Norman stone belltower and Arabic…