Serpotta’s masterpiece and Caravaggio’s “clone.” This is a place of rare beauty, known not only to the history of art, but also to the crime news. It was built in the late 1500s, as the headquarters of the Company of St. Francis, on the remains of a small church dedicated to St. Lawrence. In October 1969, it hit the pages of newspapers around the world for the sensational theft of the “Nativity with Saints Francis and Lawrence,” a masterpiece by Caravaggio painted in 1609. The splendid painting was never found, but today the niche, which remained empty for a long time, houses a “clone” executed with the most advanced technology. The story of the theft is still shrouded in mystery, with periodic twists and revelations. Mysteries aside, the oratory is a treasure trove of art, with precious perspective bas-reliefs by Giacomo Serpotta, perimeter seats inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl, and a floor with polychrome marble.
