San Giovanni degli Eremiti (St John of the Hermits) is an ancient former monastic church located on Via Benedettini #19 in the ancient quarter of Albergaria of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. It is about two blocks south from the Palazzo dei Normanni, adjacent to the church of San Giorgio in Kemonia. While the interior is virtually devoid of decoration or furnishings, the red Norman-Byzantine domes, the medieval cloister ruins, and garden make this small church a symbol of ancient Palermo.
A church and a Benedictine monastery existed at the site date prior to the 6th century. Pope Gregory the Great is said to have patronized its establishment. The seventh-century Pope Agatho took orders at this monastery. It is said that the Saracen conquerors closed or razed the monastery, perhaps converting the church to a mosque. After the Norman conquest, circa 1136, the site was restored by Roger II of Sicily to Benedictine Benedictine monks of Saint William of Vercelli . The church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist.
Monday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Tuesday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Thursday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Friday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Saturday | 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM |
Sunday | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
DAVID SNYDER | Dec 26, 2017
Not worth the entry charge whatsoever. What remains of the church and cloister is quite beautiful and the surrounding gardens enjoyable, but an 8€ entrance fee seems way off base.
Oleg Naumov | Nov 5, 2017
Excellent monument of medieval Norman culture and architecture. Unfortunately original interiors were missing. But very beautiful cloister survived.
Danny van der Rijn | Feb 3, 2018
Quiet place. Beautiful arcades
O Tea | Jan 13, 2018
Easily the biggest waste of money in Palermo. We were expecting much more for the amount they charge, instead it was just a garden with a small empty building and closed off entrances.
Brian Thome | Oct 30, 2017
Not worth the 6 euro fee. Probably not even worth a stop if it were free.
Rafael Perez | Apr 5, 2018
They reduced it to 6 euros but it's still not worth the price unless it's stinking hot
Jennifer May | Apr 5, 2018
Compared to other churches in Palermo, this is best viewed from the street and save 6€ entry. Very disappointing to see the entry fees are not used to maintain the gardens etc.
Andrew Mcstephan | May 20, 2018
It's astonishing how some foreign tourists or even Italians are ready to criticize a fare ticket of 6€ for one of the most beautiful architecture from arab - norman sicily, when in northern Europe I've visited roofless, mouldy castles where you can get charged over 10€ - I'm not kidding, I've paid over 10€ to just walk over some roofless rubble. Maybe Palermo deserves a different class of tourists!
Diego Actis | Jun 3, 2018
Small temple park and inner courtyards - no frescoes, nothing particularly exciting. I would make it a low priority place to visit when in Palermo.
Theo Jalba | Jun 28, 2018
This Church is a bare ruin, so there are no frescos or mosaics, just the empty Church that is still standing, the garden and a column structure in the garden. Somewhat underwhelming at first, but this becomes a much more exciting visit if you climb the nearby belfry tower of the adjoining Church to get a view of the surroundings. Also see the grotta in the neighboring Church. I feel that if these 2 Churches worked together to create a combined ticket, it would provide a better experience for tourists and also drive business to both. St John has the fame to attract tourists, the adjoining Church has an amazing tower and a grotta which add more excitement to the visit.
Toufik TOUAHRI | Jun 24, 2018
Very nice garden and church. The church is a nice heritage from Normand period (built under Roger 2nd ), and was transformed into a mosque and then into a church...
Denis VINCENT | Jul 25, 2018
Much more intetesting than the famous Palace just near of it. The little garden and the cloister are very beautiful.
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