Apses and transept
Cefalù Cathedral

The king’s mark

The interior of the spaces of the presbytery area and the transept correspond to the volume, as designed by Roger’s original project. he difference between this part of the building and the other, consisting of the naves , is the large triumphal arch , visible in its original height, on the transept side, and reduced by a sub-arch on nave side.
The transverse arm must have been the most emblematic place in the Cathedral: in this area, Roger II had the two sarcophagi made, now in Palermo Cathedral, which have left an imprint on the floor. The front of the transept leading into the apsidal spaces is characterised by the typical overlapping columns placed in angular niches .
At the backs of the two walls , which divide the three apses, on the eastern front of the transept, there is a sculptural group of the Annunciation , as well as, a fresco of Madonna Enthroned on the opposite side, evidence of the decorations inserted over time.
The space was originally tripartite due to the presence, in the median area, of marble barriers with mosaic inlays that delimited the choir area.

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

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

Transformations over the centuries

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

The Virgin Hodegetria

The longest aisle

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

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

Squaring the circle

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

A space between the visible and the invisible

The cemetery of kings

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

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

The cultural substrate through time

The Gualtiero Cathedral

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

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

The Cathedral over the centuries

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The area of the Sanctuary

The southern portico

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

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

Under the crosses of the Bema

Ecclesia munita

A palimpsest of history

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

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

The original design

A new Cathedral

The lost chapel

The Bible carved in stone

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

The Chapel of the Kings

The towers and the western facade

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

A controversial interpretation

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

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

The side aisles

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

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

The chapel of St. Benedict

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

A tree full of life

The Great Restoration

Roger II’s strategic design

The mosaics of the apses

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The decorated facade

The balance between architecture and light

The beginning of the construction site

Worship services

Mosaic decoration

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

A Northern population

A remarkable ceiling

The rediscovered chapel

The king’s mark

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Survey of the royal tombs

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

Palermo: the happiest city

Interior decorations

Beyond the harmony of proportions

The stone bible

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

The mosaics of the presbytery

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

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The senses tell Context 1