Church of Saint John of the Hermits

The Church of Saint John of the Hermits is immediately recognizable by the five bright red domes crowning its structure. This monastic complex, located near the Royal Palace, was commissioned by the Norman King Roger the Second and constructed between eleven thirty-two and eleven forty-eight. The site rests upon layers of history that predate the Norman arrival, having occupied land that reportedly hosted a sixth-century Benedictine monastery before it was repurposed as a mosque during the period of Muslim rule.