Palermo - Sant'Agostino

Sicily, the largest of all Mediterranean islands, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession.

Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire and became a Byzantine province. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.

A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred

In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by their Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful,

The court of Roger II became melting out of culture, both from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans worked together and created some extraordinary buildings.

In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Frederick Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.

Palermo, founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, became a possession of Carthage. The town later became part of the Roman Empire. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule. Following the Norman conquest, Palermo became the capital of a new Kingdom of Sicily and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Frederick II and King Conrad IV.

Today Palermo is a bustling city with a population of about 700.000 plus - many many tourists.

Sant'Agostino was built end of the 13th century in early Gothic style, when the Capetian House of Anjou was in power in Palermo. It replaced on older Romanesque church and still is the church of the Order of Saint Augustine. It got remodeled, renovated a couple of times over the centuries.

From 1711 on the nave got remodelled in Baroque style, that was "state of the art" at that time. The stucco sculptures were created by Giacomo Serpotta, a member of the well known Serpotta family.