Madonna dell'Itria dei Cocchieri, Religious building in Kalsa district, Palermo, Italy.
Madonna dell'Itria dei Cocchieri is a church in the Kalsa neighborhood built as a place of worship for the Brotherhood of Coaches. The building displays a simple front with two semi-columns and a portal decorated with a carved relief of the Madonna dell'Itria dated to 1611.
The Brotherhood of Coaches began construction in 1596 and completed the church around 1611 as their dedicated sanctuary. The building became a core institution for the coachmen's community in Palermo from its opening.
The church served as a gathering place for coachmen and their guild, reflecting their devotion to protecting horses and carriages through religious practice. The building embodies the relationship between working people and their spiritual lives in historical Palermo.
The church is easy to locate and the underground crypt is accessible with straightforward entry, though visitors should be prepared for steps and narrow passages. Best to plan a visit in the morning or early afternoon when the crypt welcomes guests.
The underground crypt functioned as a burial chamber where brotherhood members were placed in wall niches to preserve their remains over time. The surviving frescoes decorating these niches still reveal the religious artistry of that period.
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