Piazza Armerina - Commenda dei Cavalieri di Malta

Today's Piazza Armerina was founded in 1080. In 1161 the city was destroyed by the Normans. It was rebuilt from 1163. The actual city developed in the Middle Ages. Since 1817 the city has been the seat of a bishop.


The Commenda was built on the pre-existing church of S. Maria del Soccorso, donated to the Knights Hospitaller (Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem). Subsequently, around 1150, the Military Order of the Knights took possession of the building with the commitment to build a complex to be used as a hospice for pilgrims heading to the Holy Land and as a place of gathering and rest for the Crusader Knights. Later around 1420 it was transformed into the Commandery of the Knights of Malta. With the unification of Italy, the assets of the Commenda became State Property and the premises were divided into lots and sold to the citizens; in the early 1900s, the church was restored. Today the Commenda still retains its fortified medieval forms, with a compact exterior, opened only by two portals with pointed arches and loopholes.


I have already uploaded a lot of photos previously taken in Sicily. Now I will add only a few. If you want to see more, follow this link:

www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/album/1238300