Santa Maria della Pietà, Palermo
The Church of Saint Mary of Pity is a Baroque church of Palermo. It is located near the churches of San Mattia ai Crociferi and Santa Teresa alla Kalsa, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo.History
In 1495 the noble Francesco Abatellis, captain at the service of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, in the absence of heirs, staged the construction of a Benedictine monastery under the name of Santa Maria della Pietà. In 1526 the monastery was founded, but contrary to the wishes of Abatellis the new female community of nuns adopted the Dominican rule.
The construction of the current church started in 1678. The architectural project was produced by Giacomo Amato, architect of the near Santa Teresa alla Kalsa too. The exterior of the church was completed in 1684, but the work continued internally. In 1723 The church was consecrated by the bishop of Patti Pietro Galletti, brother of the abbess of Santa Maria della Pietà Vincenza Maria Galletti.
