Photo: Bjs, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Museum
- Style
- Baroque architecture
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 38°06′56″ N, 13°22′19″ E
- Address
- Via Dello Spasimo, 90133 Palermo
History and description
The Oratorio dei Bianchi is a Baroque prayer room or oratory located on the Piazzeta dei Bianchi, about equidistant between the churches of Santa Maria dello Spasimo and Santa Teresa alla Kalsa in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.
History
This peculiar oratory is composed of diverse components incongruently linked. The main oratory was built in 1686, after a fire in 1600 destroyed the prior church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, initially built by the Minims order in 1477. This ancient church was dedicated to the Virgin and contained the tag della Vittoria, because in the 11th-century, the Normans under Robert Guiscard had been able to enter the besieged Saracen city through a gate at this site.
The ground floor of the exterior is made from large stone blocks with masks sculpted in the arch keystones. The second story has a more sober facade with Corinthian pilasters. The confraternity or Compagnia del SS. Crocifisso was also called the Company of the bianchi or whites due to their white processional gowns. Their main charity was to accompany and minister to those condemned for execution. The interiors have a few stucco sculptures completed by Serpotta and his family, The main meeting room for the members was frescoed in 1776 by Gaspare Fumagalli in a neoclassical style.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Oratorio dei Bianchi».
Photos
Getting there
Palermo CentraleTrain, nearest
800 m as the crow flies
Oratorio dei BianchiVia Dello Spasimo, 90133 Palermo
Palermo (Liberty Lines)1.1 km
Aeroporto di Palermo Falcone e Borsellino24.7 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore museums in Sicily
- UNESCO
Frequently asked questions
Where is Oratorio dei Bianchi?
Oratorio dei Bianchi is in Palermo, in the province of Palermo (Sicily), Italy. Address: Via Dello Spasimo, 90133 Palermo. GPS coordinates: 38.11542, 13.37206.
What else is there to see near Oratorio dei Bianchi?
Nearby you’ll find: Santa Maria dello Spasimo (100 m away), Palazzo Abatellis (200 m away), Porta dei Greci (200 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 6 photos
- Palermo-Oratorio-dei-Bianchi-bjs-01 — Bjs, CC0
- Oratorio dei Bianchi 2 — CarlesVA, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oratorio dei Bianchi, Frontansicht — Parola per parola, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oratorio dei Bianchi, Holztür — Parola per parola, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oratorio dei Bianchi, Seitenansicht — Parola per parola, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palermo - oratorio dei Bianchi - 2026-09-03 09-20-08 001 — Effems, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences