| Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio Parrocchia S. Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana (Italian) Famullia e Shën Kollit së Arbëreshëvet (Albanian) | |
|---|---|
 The Baroque façade, with the Romanesque belltower and Byzantine dome | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Province | Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi (Italo-Albanian Catholic Church) |
| Rite | Byzantine Rite |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Co-cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Palermo, Italy |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Norman-Arab-Byzantine, Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1143 |
| Completed | (restoration on 19th century) |
| Official name: Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Designated | 2015 (39th session) |
| Reference no. | 1487 |
| State Party | Italy |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Church of St. Mary of the Admiral (Italian: Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio), also called Martorana, is the seat of the Parish of San Nicolò dei Greci (Albanian: Klisha e Shën Kollit së Arbëreshëvet), overlooking the Piazza Bellini, next to the Norman church of San Cataldo and facing the Baroque church of Santa Caterina, in Palermo, Italy.
The church is a co-cathedral to the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi[1] of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, a diocese which includes the Italo-Albanian (Arbëreshë) communities in Sicily who officiate the liturgy according to the Byzantine Rite in the Koine Greek language and Albanian language.[2] The Church bears witness to the Eastern religious and artistic culture still present in Italy today, further enhanced by the Albanian exiles who took refuge in southern Italy and Sicily from the 15th century under the pressure of Turkish-Ottoman persecutions in Albania and the Balkans. The latter influence has left considerable traces in the painting of icons, in the religious rite, in the language of the parish, in the traditional customs of some Albanian colonies in the province of Palermo. The community is part of the Catholic Church, but follows the ritual and spiritual traditions that largely share it with the Eastern Church.
The church is characterized by a multiplicity of styles that meet, since, through the succession of centuries, it was enriched by various tastes in art, architecture and culture. Today, it stands as a church-historical monument, and subject to protection.
Since 3 July 2015 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
- ^ "Concatedral Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Palermo, Palermo, Italy (Italo-Albanese)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ The liturgical languages of the parish are Koine (Biblical) Greek (as is the tradition for Eastern churches) and Albanian (the language of the Italo-Albanian faithful, the Arbëreshë people).