Santa Maria Maddalena, Baroque and Neoclassical church in Parma, Italy.
Santa Maria Maddalena is a single-nave church with a quadrangular plan and one altar, on borgo della Posta in Parma. In front of the main altar stands an iconostasis, and the walls carry paintings in the Orthodox tradition. The altarpiece shows Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Crucifix, painted by Donnino Pozzi; the side walls hold his Immaculate Conception and a Saint Joseph by Ettore Mossini.
The church is first documented in 1230, during the episcopate of Bishop Grazia, who had a residence built nearby for Parma's suffragan bishops, known as "della Maddalena". On 16 December 1768 a murder was committed inside, making the church "polluted"; it was reconciled on 24 January 1769. In 1995 the building was handed over by convention to Parma's Greek Orthodox community, under the Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, and rededicated to Saint Nectarios.
Since 1995 the building has been used by Parma's Greek Orthodox community under the Archdiocese of Italy, and it is now dedicated to Saint Nectarios of Aegina. An iconostasis stands in front of the altar and the walls carry paintings in the Orthodox tradition, alongside the older Catholic altarpiece of Mary Magdalene by Donnino Pozzi.
The church stands at Borgo della Posta 19, in the city centre of Parma, a short walk from the cathedral and the historic core. Since 1995 the building has been used by the Greek Orthodox community and is dedicated to Saint Nectarios, so services follow the Orthodox calendar rather than the Catholic one. Visitors should dress modestly and avoid entering during a liturgy.
Since 1995 the church has been granted to Parma's Greek Orthodox community and rededicated to Saint Nectarios of Aegina. An iconostasis now stands in front of the main altar, and the walls carry paintings in the Orthodox tradition, so a Catholic building serves an Orthodox parish.
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