Monreale Cathedral
the internal areas

The balance between architecture and light

The interior of the cathedral features an ever-increasing decorative rhythm on the surface of the walls and pillars, starting from the main entrance to the altar.
In the space between the naves , the wall area underneath the mosaics is covered in white marble and decorated with geometric polychrome inlays, inserted in vertical bands at regular intervals and enclosed by thin marble cornices. It is not certain whether the aisles were ornamented when the Cathedral was founded, although decoration was certainly part of the design.
The one we see today is the product of recent restorations .
Similarly, the wooden ceiling and the floor of the nave were also unfinished, although they were also completed at a later date in compliance with the client’s design.
The balanced arrangement of the columns that follow one another in the centre of the nave determines the dimensions of this main space, illuminated by nine windows arranged along the same axis as the colonnaded arches but at a lower level than the eastern body, thus influencing its decorative composition. Originally, the light sources , so sensitive to the changing seasons that they could affect the perception of colours inside the Temple, produced a totally different effect from the one we see today. Perforated lead plates on the windows made the interior quite dark for many centuries, until 1658. The need for a new liturgical arrangement made it necessary to replace the lead barriers, obstructing access to the sunlight, with new stained glass windows.
During the restoration carried out between 1957 and 1995, additional metal alloy barriers were added to mitigate the excessive light. As in all mediaeval churches, the sacred space was lit by the glow of candles. In Monreale, the candles glowed softly in the large metal chandeliers supported from above by iron chains.

Squaring the circle

The senses tell Context 1

The Virgin Hodegetria

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

The Great Restoration

A controversial interpretation

A remarkable ceiling

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

Palermo: the happiest city

Mosaic decoration

The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The longest aisle

A palimpsest of history

Interior decorations

The mosaics of the presbytery

The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model

Beyond the harmony of proportions

The side aisles

A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries

The mosaics of the apses

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith

The Chapel of the Kings

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The cemetery of kings

The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

The cultural substrate through time

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The Bible carved in stone

The king’s mark

A new Cathedral

The southern portico

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily

The Gualtiero Cathedral

A space between the visible and the invisible

Survey of the royal tombs

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves

Under the crosses of the Bema

The chapel of St. Benedict

Roger II’s strategic design

Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time

Transformations over the centuries

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The area of the Sanctuary

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The rediscovered chapel

Ecclesia munita

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Worship services

The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory

The beginning of the construction site

The balance between architecture and light

A Northern population

The lost chapel

The decorated facade

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

The original design

The towers and the western facade

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

The Cathedral over the centuries

The stone bible

The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time

The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door

A tree full of life

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order