San Giovanni degli Eremiti
San Giovanni Hermits is a Norman church building in Palermo, close to the Palace of the Normans.
History
The building consists of several parts from different eras. On the site of the present building, a church was built in the time of Pope Gregory in the 6th century, which was dedicated to St. S. Ermete. From a word twisting the name of S. John of the Hermits to have originated. In the 10th century there was a previous building built in Arabian style. This earlier building consisted of a walled rectangular courtyard, which had a portico on the north side and on the east side was an approximately 6x18 m large hall. In the center line of this Arab hall five square pillars were arranged, which divided the room in two ships. Each of the resulting six yokes was spanned on both sides of a cross vault, the room for a total of twelve cross vaults.
The church was built by Roger II shortly after his confirmation as King of Sicily in 1130 as part of the first Roman Catholic monastery in Sicily and was completed in 1143.
The north wall of the courtyard was used as the south wall of the church. The transept was built into the Arab Hall, the rest of the room used as a sacristy.
1464 San Giovanni degli Eremiti the Benedictine monastery of San Martino delle Scale, it was assumed in 1524 left the Benedictines of Monreale. Over the centuries, other monastery buildings and homes were built around the church.
1877, the church was excavated and restored by Giuseppe Patricolo. Among other things, the apse and the north facade of the church were exposed and removed inside the meantime applied stucco. On this occasion the post-medieval buildings were demolished. The red paint were the domes until the 20th century.
The exterior
The church building rises above the floor plan of a "T" or Anthony Cross. The wide nave runs in east-west direction and carries two large domes with Tambour.
The transept, which is about half as wide as the nave, runs along its eastern side in a north-south direction shows a peculiar altitudinal zonation: The southern cross arm is as high as the nave and carries a smaller stilted dome as the nave. The central part of the transept is higher than the nave, and also carries a smaller stilted dome. On its east side an apse jumping in front of the wall run. The northern cross arm carrying a tower with large pointed arch window openings are framed on the top floor of the three -tiered blind arches. Also, the tower carries a small stilted dome.
On the east facade the wall of the former Arab hall closes at south of the transept. She has only narrow embrasure -like windows. The south wall of the old Arab building complex is obtained, but the west wall is missing.
To the south of the complex stands the Baroque church of San Giorgio in Kemonia.
The interior
On the west side leads into the nave, which is divided by an arch into two approximately square yokes. Each of these yokes is surmounted by a dome. The transition from the square base and the dome is via three-stage squinches.
The transept is divided by pointed arches in three rooms with apses. The vestibule, the mean three almost semicircular, they can also be seen on the outside. The two lateral apses, however, are so flat that they remain within the thickness of the outer wall.
From the right transverse arm of the transept it came, in the former Arab Hall, which later served as a sacristy. Remains of the pillars and the original vault approaches are still visible. Today the space of three cross vaults is spanned. The originally pointed arch windows are bricked up except for a narrow gap. In a pointed-arch niche remains of a fresco of a thtronenden Mother of God can be seen, which is surrounded by two saints. Also, some residues are red inscriptions on the walls.
Cloister
The cloister is located north-west of the nave. It dates from the 13th century, and was then redesigned. He probably was one of the ruined buildings of the convent. Double marble columns bear the slightly ogival arcades. In the middle of the cloister there is a fountain.