Cefalù Cathedral
the chystro

Squaring the circle

Entering the cloister of Cefalù Cathedral not only means plunging into a path steeped in medieval art that seems to reawaken the different decorative motifs animating the capitals of the columns as we pass, but also being pervaded by an architecture of light.
In accordance with Christian symbolism, it is oriented so that each of its spaces is illuminated in a different way, following the orientation of the sun.
Following its itinerary, made up of the transcendence of the circle inserted in the immanence of the square, we are invited to embark on a spiritual journey of purification that begins where the light sets, symbolically linked to Adam and the Old Testament, and then reaches the New Testament dimension, pervaded by the radiance of the incarnation and the promise. Even the plants arranged in the garden have always represented an ascetic message, capable of enveloping those who walk through it in a sense of theophany that unfolds along the way.

A controversial interpretation

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

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

A remarkable ceiling

The stone bible

The side aisles

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

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

Roger II’s strategic design

The mosaics of the apses

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The cultural substrate through time

The Chapel of the Kings

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

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

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

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

A palimpsest of history

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The decorated facade

The Gualtiero Cathedral

Transformations over the centuries

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Worship services

The chapel of St. Benedict

The rediscovered chapel

A tree full of life

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

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

A new Cathedral

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The senses tell Context 1

The southern portico

The longest aisle

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The Cathedral over the centuries

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

The Bible carved in stone

Squaring the circle

Mosaic decoration

The balance between architecture and light

Interior decorations

The Virgin Hodegetria

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

Beyond the harmony of proportions

A space between the visible and the invisible

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

The towers and the western facade

The beginning of the construction site

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

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The cemetery of kings

Survey of the royal tombs

The Great Restoration

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

Under the crosses of the Bema

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Ecclesia munita

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The king’s mark

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The lost chapel

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

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

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

A Northern population

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

The area of the Sanctuary

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The Kings’ Cathedrals

Palermo: the happiest city

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

The mosaics of the presbytery

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

The original design