The church was built for the "Compagnia di Sant'Orsola" (Brotherhood of Saint Ursula), a lay confraternity founded in 1564 in the neighboring church of Santi Quaranta Martiri Pisani al Casalotto. The tag dei Negri refers to the black gowns worn by the members of the Confraternity during processions.
The church was open to the public in 1662.[1] The nave, and maybe the entire building, was designed by Giacomo Amato. In 1672, the church was refurbished with a rich decoration of stucco and painting.[1] The nave ceiling was frescoed with a depiction of the Glory of St Ursula by Gaspare Serenari. In the following century another refurbishment was made. The stucco decorations of Giacomo Serpotta for some of the chapels include multiple macabre skeletal representations.
Art
Chapel for Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory, with memento mori by Serpotta
The pillars are decorated with ovals representing the patron saints of Palermo: Lucy, Christina, Agatha, Ninfa, Olivia and Rosalia by the workshop of Pietro Novelli.
