San Giovanni degli Eremiti
Arab-Norman church with red domes, cloister and garden in central Palermo, part of the UNESCO site Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti was built in the Norman period, between about 1130 and 1148, at the wish of King Ruggero II, on the site of an earlier Benedictine monastery that dated back to the time of Gregorio Magno. The name recalls the hermit life of the monks. The building is part of the UNESCO site “Palermo arabo-normanna e le cattedrali di Cefalù e Monreale” (Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale).
The interior has a cross-shaped plan with a module repeated five times, a cube surmounted by a dome, and three semicircular apses. The exterior, with its red domes and cubic volumes, recalls Eastern models. At the end of the 19th century the architect Giuseppe Patricolo removed later additions and restored the domes.
The church is joined by the cloister, the best-preserved part of the original monastery, with pointed arches on paired columns with decorated capitals and an Arab-period cistern. The cloister, of uncertain date and probably 13th-century, is surrounded by a lush garden.
Highlights
- Red domes of the Arab-Norman church
- Cloister with paired columns and pointed arches
- Garden and Arab-period cistern
- UNESCO site Arab-Norman Palermo
- Operated by
- Regione Siciliana
- Visitors per year
- approx. 87,053
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|
Free admission: First Sunday of the month
Price as listed on the tourist portal of the Comune di Palermo.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
According to the tourist portal of the Comune di Palermo, the site is accessible to people with disabilities if accompanied, and an accessible toilet is available.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
