La Martorana

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  • Address
    Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Piazza Bellini 3, centro, 90133
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  • Phone
    091 616 16 92
  • Transport
    train: Palermo Centrale
bus: Cuffaro, Intercity, Urban

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Lonely Planet review

Palermo's most famous - and beautiful - medieval church is La Martorana, which is often buzzing with wedding ceremonies (always scheduled late morning and usually on Saturdays).

This 12th-century structure was the brainchild of King Roger's Syrian emir, George of Antioch, and, like many structures dating from this period, it was originally planned as a mosque. Delicate Fatimid pillars support a domed cupola depicting Christ enthroned amid his archangels, while Arabic script endlessly repeats the name of Allah. The stunning Byzantine mosaics are the legacy of the Greek artisans employed to decorate the church, who brought with them an Orthodox Christian sense of religious décor.