Santa Ninfa dei Crociferi – dedicated to one of the patron saints of Palermo – is one of the first buildings erected after the opening of Via Maqueda, the second most important street of the city. The construction of the church began on in 1601. The construction was fostered by the Palermo Senate and financed with donations from several noble families of the city.
The original project was probably prepared in Rome. In Palermo many architects were involved in the construction: Giovanni Macolino, Giacomo Amato, Giuseppe Clemente Mariani, Ferdinando Lombardo and Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia. The church was open in 1660, but because of financial difficulties, the construction was completed only in 1750 with the conclusion of the façade designed by Ferdinando Lombardo. The church houses many artworks of important artists.
Some relics of Saint Camillus are held in the church. Sir John Acton was buried here after his death in 1811.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.