Spaces for Domestic Devotion in the Noble Residences of Palermo in the Age of Catholic Reform

In the mid-eighteenth century, Francesco Maria Emanuele Gaetani, Marquis of Villabianca (1720–1802), acknowledged that in Palermo the prestige and distinction of a palace had depended on the presence of ‘crenellations, turrets, columns, courtyards and private churches’.1 He was referring to the Royal Palace which the Normans began constructing in 1132, and to medieval fortified houses, whose private chapels were notable for their sizable dimensions.2 The Marquis, despite being a valuable source of information on the period, is known to have been a conservative voice from the upper echelons of society, perpetually worried by the evolving world around him. He complained that the custom of erecting great private oratories was vanishing, because of the new, and in his words ‘mal consigliata’ (erroneous) custom of allowing domestic chapels inside rooms.3 His words, however, prove that devotional spaces – albeit reduced in size – were still considered necessary to complete a noble home in Palermo. Pending the conclusion of research that is still underway, this paper provides an overview of chapels and oratories in the noble residences of Palermo in the post-Tridentine age. It asserts that the pervasive and enduring role of religion was reflected in the architecture of private devotional spaces.4 This paper sheds light on the continuous re-negotiation of the boundaries between