Cefalù Cathedral
the church hall

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

In every corner of the Temple, we bear witness to an intimate dialogue between religion and architecture pervaded by alternating colours that blend together, giving only an apparent sense of homogeneity.
The stained-glass windows made in the early 1990s by the Palermo artist Michele Canzoneri , capture our attention, sending us back in time with the narration of biblical themes . Artistically decorated transparent panels were inserted in the splayed single-lancet windows of the naves and in the large window of the façade. Consisting of a combination of various forms of blown glass, in turn enriched with acrylic pigments, they replaced the previous non-valuable fixtures, from ancient lead sheets to more recent ones made of wooden material. Looking up from the aisles is a mystical path, which elevates us towards an intimate link with the Word of God. It begins with the fourteen pointed windows overlooking the central nave, with seven windows on each side, symbolically referring to the days of the Creation. The theme presented in the side aisles is echoed in the rich and vibrant narrative rhythm of the nine representations on each of the single-lancet windows on the walls. The Cathedral, which had remained unfinished over the centuries, was brought back to life with atmospheres typical of medieval construction sites, during the major restoration project opened in the 1980s.

Transformations over the centuries

The mosaics of the apses

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

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

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The lost chapel

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

The king’s mark

The decorated facade

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

The cemetery of kings

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The southern portico

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

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The stone bible

Under the crosses of the Bema

The Chapel of the Kings

The Bible carved in stone

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

Roger II’s strategic design

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

A new Cathedral

The cultural substrate through time

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

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

A remarkable ceiling

The Great Restoration

The beginning of the construction site

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

Worship services

The Kings’ Cathedrals

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

Beyond the harmony of proportions

Squaring the circle

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

Interior decorations

Ecclesia munita

The chapel of St. Benedict

The Cathedral over the centuries

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

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The towers and the western facade

The senses tell Context 1

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The rediscovered chapel

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

A tree full of life

The Virgin Hodegetria

A Northern population

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

The mosaics of the presbytery

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

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

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

Survey of the royal tombs

A palimpsest of history

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

Mosaic decoration

The longest aisle

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

A controversial interpretation

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The Gualtiero Cathedral

The original design

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

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

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

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Palermo: the happiest city

The area of the Sanctuary

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

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

The side aisles

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

A space between the visible and the invisible

The balance between architecture and light