Oratory of Santa Cita

Oratory of Santa Cita

The interior walls of the Oratory of Santa Cita display the masterpiece of Palermo sculptor Giacomo Serpotta, who spent much of his life on this elaborate collection of three-dimensional stuccowork. The chapel was built as thanks to the Virgin Mary for her divine help in defeating the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, and the entire back wall is devoted to scenes from that skirmish. On the other walls, there's an eclectic mix of cherubs, angels, biblical scenes and much more.