L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS f r e s c o e s . A d d i n g t o t h e church's splendor is a three- manual organ in the choir section. W e m e n t i o n e d t h e b e l l tower and its architectural structure in the upper part, but we haven't discussed its l o w e r p a r t , w h i c h a n g l e s toward Via Giuseppe D'A- lessi. In this truly unique location, a tiny bookstore is tucked away, spanning a mere 19 square meters but e x t e n d i n g s i x a n d a h a l f meters in height. Its owner, Pietro Onorato, made a personal bet with himself and acquired this "room"- for it can be called nothing else given its dimensions - in 2019 to transform it into a haven of culture, his dream place, his Wunderkammer (cabinet of c u r i o s i t i e s ) . M u c h o f t h e shelving dates back to 1920 and reaches up to the ceiling, concealing various compart- ments, some impossible to find without the bookseller's guidance. Among them is a s e r v i c e a b l e o n e o n t h e ground floor. At a height of about three meters, there is another compartment known a s t h e " p l e a s u r e r o o m " because it contains erotic books and magazines. Anoth- e r o n e , a l s o a t t h e s a m e height and hidden behind a shelf measuring one meter by two, opens inward to reveal a small corridor and a small window: the "mystery room" where, naturally, mystery d e l l a P r o v v i d e n z a (Madonna of Providence), it f e a t u r e s a s m a l l p a i n t i n g f r o m 1 6 1 0 d e p i c t i n g t h e M a d o n n a w i t h t h e C h i l d Jesus. Tradition has it that t h i s i m a g e h a s g r a n t e d numerous blessings over the centuries. Inside the church, there is also a well whose w a t e r i s a t t r i b u t e d w i t h miraculous healing proper- ties. Devotees who seek the protection of the Madonna della Provvidenza inscribe t h e i r n a m e s i n t h e B o o k , which is renewed annually. Every second Wednesday after Epiphany, the Book is placed on a throne beneath the Madonna's image, and every Wednesday throughout the year, a Mass is celebrated for the benefit of all those enrolled in it. To maintain the devotion and worship of the Madonna, believers are asked to make a monetary o f f e r i n g a t t h e t i m e o f inscription, as a personal sac- rifice. Within the basilica, signifi- cant works of great artistic value by Gagini, Pietro Novel- li, Ignazio Marabitti, Federico S i r a g u s a , G i u s e p p e Velasquez, Antonio Manno, and the frescoes by Gugliel- mo Borremans from 1724 in the dome - depicting the fall of rebellious angels - are pre- served. The opulent Sicilian Baroque style is particular- ly evident in the polychrome stuccoes, statues, and all the n o v e l s a r e f o u n d . A t t h e entrance, which is also origi- nal, a sign reads: "La Stanza di Carta is a small and well- organized bookstore, barely a room (or two), where you can find what you never even thought to look for." Indeed, apart from books exclusively in paper format, you can dis- cover rare volumes, unused b u t s a l v a g e d f r o m o t h e r defunct bookstores, including those from private individu- a l s a n d l i b r a r i e s t h a t n o longer exist. In essence, these are books that are no longer in print, elusive first editions. They are, in a sense, niche books, carefully selected one by one by Pietro Onorato, and they are also of exquisite editorial quality. A narrow staircase leads to a b a l c o n y w h e r e a n o t h e r reading spot is located - one i s a l r e a d y o n t h e g r o u n d floor. From here, you can o b s e r v e t h e l i b r a r y f r o m above, looking down at the c i r c u l a r a r r a n g e m e n t o f books on a table at the center, resembling the rays of the sun; a window illuminates the space. In this place, it seems that time has come to a standstill, with the bell tower watching over a dis- creet form of culture, not shouted from the rooftops but comprised of small liter- ary masterpieces that have a l l o w e d a s m a l l y e t g r e a t b o o k s e l l e r t o c o n t i n u e dreaming. by the Order of Regular Clerics of the Teatini , established in 1524. In 1602, three Teatini fathers arrived in Palermo from Naples to spread their Order's teach- ings throughout the Kingdom of Sicily. After searching for a suitable location to establish t h e i r h e a d q u a r t e r s , t h e y identified the ideal place for their needs in 1603. They found it on Via Maqueda, near the Church of Sant'Elia, which belonged to the Car- penters' guild. Therefore, the dedication to San Giuseppe – the patron saint of carpen- ters (he was one himself) – was only natural. The layout of this church follows a Latin cross plan, boasting two entrances: the m a i n o n e o n t h e C a s s a r o side, and the secondary one on Via Maqueda, facing Piaz- za Pretoria where the Munic- ipal Palace stands proudly. It is crowned by a bell tower sit- uated on the side street near the secondary entrance, ris- ing in two tiers, the second of which can be attributed to the architect Paolo Amato. Twisting columns rise from an octagonal base, support- ing the wooden roof of the bell tower. The church also houses a second place of worship, an u n d e r g r o u n d c h a m b e r known as the hypogeum, where a beautiful Presepe is displayed during Christmas. Dedicated to the Madonna I n t h e m i d s t o f t h e c o u n t l e s s c h u r c h e s gracing the historic center of Palermo, s o m e o f w h i c h a r e U N E S C O W o r l d H e r i t a g e sites, one cannot help but notice the one that occupies a prominent place at the Quat- tro Canti, or Piazza Vigliena. This square lies at the heart of the ancient city and serves as the intersection of the m a i n , o l d e s t s t r e e t s t h a t crisscross the capital of the Sicilian region: Via Vittorio Emanuele – formerly known a s t h e C a s s a r o - a n d V i a Maqueda. This remarkable church is none other than the S a n c t u a r y o f S a n Giuseppe dei Teatini. Once dedicated to San- t'Elia and chosen as a place of worship by carpenters, it car- ries the memory of this asso- ciation with their emblem located beneath the statue of San Giuseppe, in the niche above the portal. Its construction spanned over thirty years, from 1612 to 1645, but it wasn't until 1844 that the neoclassical main façade, which faces Via Vittorio Emanuele, was com- pleted. The church suffered damage during the bombings of 1943, and its restoration was finalized in 1966 when it was reopened for worship. The ceilings are adorned with frescoes, the side chapels and walls with marbles, and the altars are enriched with semi- precious stones. The Baroque style is evident in the wooden furnishings, while on either side of the entrance door, you c a n f i n d t w o m a r b l e h o l y water stoups supported by stucco angels from the late 1700s. These were crafted by Ignazio Marabitti – the one on the right - and by his disciple Federico Siragusa, who succeeded him when the master suffered a stroke on January 1, 1795. T h e t e m p l e c o n s i s t s o f three naves accentuated by two rows of majestic marble columns, thirty-four in total, sculpted by artists such as Gagini, Novelli, Marabitti, and Borremans. Four of these columns are so imposing – standing at an impressive eleven meters, well oversized compared to the standard ones - that they support the dome. The use of locally pro- duced Billiemi stone was, and still is today, a guarantee of stability. The basilica was founded TERESA DI FRESCO A peculiar bell tower The dome of San Giuseppe dei Teatini church (Photo: Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock) and, bottom right, the entrance of the "La Stanza di Carta" bookstore (Photo: Teresa Di Fresco)

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