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Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo

16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in ItalyBaroque architecture in PalermoItalian church stubsOratories in PalermoSicily stubs
Oratorio San Lorenzo Interno
Oratorio San Lorenzo Interno

The Oratory of Saint Lawrence (Italian: Oratorio di San Lorenzo) is a Baroque oratory of Palermo. It is located near the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo.The oratory was built in 1569 to replace a former smaller church dedicated to St Lawrence. Construction was funded by a confraternity of mainly Genovese merchants, and linked to Conventual Franciscans. In 1699-1706, Giacomo Serpotta realized a sumptuous stucco decoration, depicting the life of St Francis.The oratory is particularly famous because of the masterpiece altarpiece Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence (1600 or 1609) by Caravaggio. This important painting was stolen, probably by Cosa Nostra, on October 18, 1969. It has never been recovered. In 2015 a hi-tech replica of the altarpiece was placed inside the oratory.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo
Via dell'Immacolatella, Palermo I Circoscrizione

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.116686111111 ° E 13.366430555556 °
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Oratorio dell'Immacolatella

Via dell'Immacolatella
90133 Palermo, I Circoscrizione
Sicily, Italy
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Oratorio San Lorenzo Interno
Oratorio San Lorenzo Interno
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Battle of Panormus

The Battle of Panormus was fought in Sicily in 250 BC during the First Punic War between a Roman army led by Lucius Caecilius Metellus and a Carthaginian force led by Hasdrubal, son of Hanno. The Roman force of two legions defending the city of Panormus defeated the much larger Carthaginian army of 30,000 men and between 60 and 142 war elephants. The war had commenced in 264 BC with Carthage in control of much of Sicily, where most of the fighting took place. In 256–255 BC the Romans attempted to strike at the city of Carthage in North Africa, but suffered a heavy defeat by a Carthaginian army strong in cavalry and elephants. When the focus of the war returned to Sicily, the Romans captured the large and important city of Panormus in 254 BC. Thereafter they avoided battle for fear of the war elephants which the Carthaginians had shipped to Sicily. In late summer 250 BC Hasdrubal led out his army to devastate the crops of the cities of Rome's allies. The Romans withdrew to Panormus and Hasdrubal pressed on to the city walls. Once he arrived in Panormus, Metellus turned to fight, countering the elephants with a hail of javelins from earthworks dug near the walls. Under this missile fire the elephants panicked and fled through the Carthaginian infantry. The Roman heavy infantry then charged the Carthaginian left flank, which broke, along with the rest of the Carthaginians. The elephants were captured and later slaughtered in the Circus Maximus. This was the last significant land battle of the war, which ended nine years later in a Roman victory.