San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi

San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi ( Italian: San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi ) is a church in the southern part of modern Palermo , one of the oldest examples of the Arab-Norman style .

Catholic temple
San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi
San giovanni dei lebbrosi
San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi
A country	Italy
City	Palermo
Diocese	Catholicism
Architectural style	Arab-Norman style
Established

The church was founded by Roger I in 1070 on the site of the Arab fortress he had taken, which covered the approaches to Palermo from the south, and was consecrated in honor of John the Baptist . Already at the end of the XI century , a hospital for lepers was attached to the church, which is why the temple got its current name. At the end of the 20th century , subsequent baroque layers were removed, and today San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi is again one of the most characteristic structures of the Arab-Norman style.

The church is a three-nave basilica with a gable roof and three apses . The exterior is austere and enlivened only by arched Arabic windows. The two-tier belfry, built a century later, also has a typically Arabic appearance - arched window openings inscribed in a mean carved pattern of false arches, a red hemispherical dome . The interior of the church, divided into naves by a row of columns, is also practically devoid of decoration.