Santa Maria della Catena
Encyclopedia
Santa Maria della Catena is a church in Palermo
, southern Italy
.
The church was built in 1490-1520, designed by Matteo Carnilivari. Tha name derives from the presence, on one of the walls, of a chain (Italian: catena) which closed the Cala port.
The works mixes late Renaissance style and Gothic-Catalan
style, the latter especially visible in the three-part arcaded loggia
located at the top of a staircase (added in 1845). The interior is also late-Gothic, and includes a cavanas of Nativity with Adoration of the Shephers (17th century) from an unknown master, 16th century bas-reliefs attributed to Vincenzo and Antonello Gagini
, who also sculpted the capitals of the columns and the entrance portals.
Annexed to the church is a 1602 convent house, which, starting from 1844, has been the seat of the State Archive.
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The church was built in 1490-1520, designed by Matteo Carnilivari. Tha name derives from the presence, on one of the walls, of a chain (Italian: catena) which closed the Cala port.
The works mixes late Renaissance style and Gothic-Catalan
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, the latter especially visible in the three-part arcaded loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
located at the top of a staircase (added in 1845). The interior is also late-Gothic, and includes a cavanas of Nativity with Adoration of the Shephers (17th century) from an unknown master, 16th century bas-reliefs attributed to Vincenzo and Antonello Gagini
Antonello Gagini
Antonello Gagini was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, mainly active in Sicily and Calabria.Antonello was a member of a family of sculptors and artisans, originally from Northern Italy, but active throughout Italy, including Genoa, Florence, and Rome. The family includes his father, Domenico...
, who also sculpted the capitals of the columns and the entrance portals.
Annexed to the church is a 1602 convent house, which, starting from 1844, has been the seat of the State Archive.