To be honest, Casa Professa is not one of my favourite places in Palermo. However, I always recommend seeing it at least once — the rest is a matter of personal taste.
In one of the first books I read about Palermo, a local described it with the word tascia — bright, excessive, a little showy. The closest translation I have found is probably kitsch.
Once you step inside, you are struck by the sheer amount of Baroque. It is the most Baroque Baroque I have ever seen in my life. And that is probably why I respect and recommend this place. It has that slightly kitsch quality that you can sometimes find only in Southern Italy — bold, theatrical and completely unapologetic.
The church itself is called Chiesa del Gesù, but it is also known as Casa Professa. That was the name of the Jesuit house that once stood next to it. It was home to members of the order who had taken their full religious vows. The house is gone today, but the church inherited its second name.
What we see inside today is the result of an enormous restoration effort after the Second World War. During the bombing of Palermo in 1943, the dome of Casa Professa collapsed and the church lost many of its frescoes and decorations. Restoration took decades, and the church reopened only at the beginning of this century.
For me, tascia is a difficult word to remember, so I always say:
“Go to Chiesa del Gesù. Casa Professa. That’s where you’ll truly understand what Palermitan Baroque is.”