Parrocchia San Giovanni Dei Lebbrosi (Parish of San Giovanni Dei Lebbrosi), Palermo

San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi is a historic church located in Palermo, noteworthy as one of the oldest medieval Norman-style buildings in the city. Commissioned in 1071 by Norman rulers Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily, the church exhibits a unique blend of Norman architecture with significant Arabic influences, reflecting the complex cultural history of Sicily.

The church was originally built next to a leprosarium in 1119, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, hence its name. It stands near the site of a former Arabic castle where the Norman army once camped and erected a temporary shrine during their siege. This strategic location led to the establishment of both the church and the adjacent leprosarium, allegedly initiated in response to the death of Roger II's brother from leprosy. Over the centuries, the site was managed by various religious orders, including the Teutonic knights.

Architecturally, San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi is designed in the Sicilian-Norman Romanesque style, featuring a Latin cross layout with a pronounced transept and a triple apse. It shares stylistic elements with other prominent religious structures in Palermo, such as San Giovanni degli Eremiti and the Martorana church. Despite its bare exterior, which lacks ornamental detail except for the ashlar reliefs around the single-lancet windows, the church's interior is richly structured. It is divided into three naves by pillars, topped with a wooden roof, and features a domed presbytery above the altar.

Significant interior features include a 15th-century painted wooden crucifix, corner columns with recessed capitals decorated with Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script of the Umayyad-Andalusian type, and a contemporary altar adorned with Christological symbols. The church underwent extensive restoration from 1920 to 1934, during which many later additions were removed, revealing more of its original architectural essence.