The origins of the Martorana Church date back to the 12th century. It was founded by the will of George of Antiochia, admiral of the fleet of King Ruggero II of Altavilla to thank the Virgin Mary for the protection she had granted him during all the years spent at sea. The layout of the original church was in the form of an inscribed cross, typical of late Byzantine churches and in line with the intended use for the Greek Byzantine cult desired by George of Antioch. The current appearance is the result of works and renovations over the centuries, in particular the additions in the Baroque period and the drastic restoration by Giuseppe Patricolo at the end of the nineteenth century should be remembered. Today the church belongs to the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, a Catholic diocese with a Greek – Byzantine rite: it is a community that, although belonging to the Catholic Church, follows the rite and traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, a cult introduced in Sicily by the Albanians who took refuge here to escape Turkish persecutions.

The origins of the Martorana Church date back to the 12th century. It was founded by the will of George of Antiochia, admiral of the fleet of King Ruggero II of Altavilla to thank the Virgin Mary for the protection she had granted him during all the years spent at sea. The layout of the original church was in the form of an inscribed cross, typical of late Byzantine churches and in line with the intended use for the Greek Byzantine cult desired by George of Antioch. The current appearance is the result of works and renovations over the centuries, in particular the additions in the Baroque period and the drastic restoration by Giuseppe Patricolo at the end of the nineteenth century should be remembered. Today the church belongs to the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, a Catholic diocese with a Greek – Byzantine rite: it is a community that, although belonging to the Catholic Church, follows the rite and traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, a cult introduced in Sicily by the Albanians who took refuge here to escape Turkish persecutions.

Having taken over the government of the city and the island in 1606, the viceroy, two years later, entrusted the Florentine architect Giulio Lasso with the urban planning of the square, which he worked on for many years. The project was inspired by the crossroads of the Quattro Fontane in Rome, designed by the urban planners of Pope Sixtus V in much more modest forms than the later Palermo version.

In 1609 the structural part of the two cantons later known as Santa Ninfa and Sant’Agata, which bear the coats of arms of Viceroy Vigliena, must have already been completed. In 1612 the canton of Santa Cristina was complete, adhering to San Giuseppe, promoted by the viceroy Ossuna. In 1615 Giulio Lasso was already dead and from 1617 Mariano Smiriglio, engineer of the Senate and former supervisor of the construction site during the direction of the Lasso, has been director of works.

On 2 August 1630, the works for the factory of the four fountains with the statues of the Four Seasons were contracted, also planned in bronze and then made in marble: the Spring and Summer were made by Gregorio Tedeschi; Autumn and Winter by Nunzio La Mattina. The current lower basins of the four fountains are from the nineteenth century and were built to compensate for the difference in height created in the floor of the square which had been lowered due to the leveling of the street. The “Quinto Canto” which can be seen on Via Vittorio Emanuele and is part of the right facade of the Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini was decorated in 1844.