Spazio Umano (Human Space) unfolds as both an artistic and theoretical dimension —a convergence of diverse creative voices, each engaging in a shared defense of the human condition. The exhibition invites visitors into a conceptual zone of proximity: a space for civic, cultural, and spiritual reflection where art becomes a tool of resistance against the numbing distortions of contemporary society. These distortions erode our perception of identity, selfhood, community, and the world. The show acts as a reflective laboratory, urging each visitor to consider the fragility of our collective future. Artists from varying geographies and disciplines come together in a common cultural and ethical effort: to resist the post-human condition and reassert a humanistic commitment through their work. Some of the featured works explicitly function as testimonies to art’s catalytic role in peacebuilding and the reconstruction of fractured human identities. Art becomes a form of responsibility —an active safeguard of “human space” and a beacon guiding intergenerational dialogue. These encounters reveal the deep fractures caused by war, displacement, and alienation.The chosen venue —a church— emphasizes this message. A symbolic place of communion beyond physical boundaries, the Church of San Mamiliano embodies shared experience, peaceful dialogue, and collective introspection. Once scarred by war, the church now stands as a sanctuary for remembering, rebuilding, and bearing witness.

Monday to Sunday (including holidays): 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
(last entry at 4:00 PM)

Closed: All tuesdays and December 25

December 31, 2025: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

January 1, 2026: 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
(last entry at 4:00 PM)

Full price: €8

Reduced price: €6*
*When also purchasing a ticket to visit the Santa Caterina monastic complex or a ticket to visit the Oratories of Santa Cita and San Domenico

Free Admission for:

• Children (up to 12 years old)
• Teachers accompanying students on educational visits
• Tourist guides
• Visitors with certified disability (and caregiver, in case of non self-sufficiency)

Tickets can be purchased at the
San Mamiliano Monumental Complex, via Valverde 3

From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, every day except Tuesday
call +39 333 577 6428

info@fondazioneriv.org

Origins and Artistic Heritage

The original church and hospital, dedicated to the Tuscan saint Santa Zita, were founded in the early 14th century by a merchant of Lucchese origin. In 1428, an heir of the founder donated the entire complex to a group of Dominican friars who had separated from the nearby convent of San Domenico. The new community completed the renovation of the original building in 1458.

By the early 16th century, it became common for wealthy families to be granted burial spaces within sacred places—practices that generated income for the religious orders, helping to fund the upkeep and embellishment of churches.

The true reconstruction, however, took place in the final quarter of the 16th century. The new three-aisle structure, designed by architect Giuseppe Giacalone, reached monumental proportions. To accommodate it, the adjacent Church of the Forty Martyrs of the Pisan Nation was purchased and sacrificed.

Still in situ today are the works of Antonello Gagini, one of the greatest Sicilian sculptors: the tribune and arch of the main chapel, originally created for the earlier church and adorned with scenes from the life of Saint Zita; the tribune and arch of the Platamone Chapel; and the funerary monuments of Blasco Lanza and Caterina Cardona-Platamone, created by Antonio Scirotta.

Several important panel paintings by Vincenzo De Pavia, once housed on the altars, are now preserved at the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis.

Post-War Restoration and Surviving Treasures

Despite the devastating damage inflicted on the building during World War II, the Chapel of the Rosary, located in the transept and intended for the burials of confraternity members, remains visible. Its walls are adorned with polychrome marble and the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries by Gioacchino Vitagliano, while the vault, frescoed by Pietro Dell’Aquila, depicts the Glorious Mysteries.

The Chapel of the Crucifix, granted in 1614 to Ottavio and Giovanna Lanza di Trabia, is still preserved. It includes wall decorations, a polychrome marble paliotto on the altar, and a beautiful 15th-century Pietà recently attributed to Giorgio da Milano.

Today, the Church of Santa Cita—now home to the parish of San Mamiliano—continues to safeguard important works, including a 1603 altarpiece by Filippo Paladini depicting Saint Agnes of Montepulciano.

From ilgeniodipalermo.com