San Giovanni degli Eremiti

San Giovanni degli Eremiti (Saint John of the Hermits) is a Norman church on Via dei Benedettini, close to Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It was founded in 1136 by King Roger II for the Benedictine order, on the site of an earlier mosque, and parts of that Islamic building are thought to survive within the structure. The church is immediately recognisable for its five red domes, which echo the Islamic architectural tradition of Palermo under Arab rule and give the building an almost North African silhouette. Its plan is simple and severe: a single nave divided into two square bays, each topped with a dome, with a transept and a choir under further domes. The bare stone interior contrasts with the richly mosaicked Norman buildings elsewhere in the city. Attached to the church is a small cloister of paired columns and pointed arches, dating from the late 12th or early 13th century, planted today with citrus trees, palms and Mediterranean flowers. The cloister is the most atmospheric part of the visit, with the church domes rising above the arcades. The complex was left to the Benedictines until the 19th century. After the unification of Italy it was cleared of later additions and restored in the 1880s to reveal the original Norman features, a work that gave the monument its current appearance. Visitors can also see the remains of a cistern and a small Arab-period room, thought to belong to a mosque or bath. San Giovanni degli Eremiti is one of the nine components of the UNESCO World Heritage site Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale, inscribed in 2015. The building is generally well preserved, and its garden is maintained. The site is small, so a visit is short and works well when combined with the royal palace and Cappella Palatina.