Palazzo Sclafani is a medieval former aristocratic palace located on Piazza della Vittoria #14, in

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, region of Sicily,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Across the Piazza della Vittoria park rises the Palazzo dei Normanni and the street along the park leads in a block to the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

History

Constructed in 1330 by lord Matteo Sclafani, Count of

Adernò Adrano (; Adernò until 1929; ), ancient ''Adranon'', is a town and in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily. It is situated around northwest of Catania, which was also the capital of the province to which Adrano belon ...

, its design was in competition with his brother-in-law's contemporary Palazzo Chiaramonte. The original appearance was changed in 1435 when it was turned into a civic hospital the Ospedale Grande e Nuovo, and in 1832 when it became a barracks. Today it houses the military command. On the Southern facade facing Piazza San Giovanni Decollato, on the third floor, intertwined multicolor arches dance atop elegant mullioned windows. The design recalls Moorish architecture of earlier centuries. Above the entrance, the coat of arms of the Sclafani family is proudly displayed, as well as an eagle (signifying the family's noble heritage) by the sculptor Bonaiuto Pisano. The large ''Triumph of Death'' fresco (1446) that was originally located in the court of Palazzo Sclafani now hangs in the

Palazzo Abatellis Palazzo Abatellis (also known as Palazzo Patella) is a palazzo in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy, located in the Kalsa quarter. It is home to the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, the Gallery of Art for the Sicilian region. History The pala ...

References

Michelin Travel Guide

A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to ..., Volume 2, by Charles Amos Cummings

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Viva Palermo
Sclafani Gothic architecture in Palermo {{Italy-palace-stub