Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves
Different styles and transformations of “one of the most beautiful monuments in the world”
The senses tell the interior
The rediscovered chapel
Cefalù: settlement evidence through time
Interior decorations
Intertwining of knowledge in Norman Palermo
A palimpsest of history
Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period
The senses tell the ceiling
A tree full of life
Roger II’s strategic design
The senses tell the historical context
The senses tell the mosaic cycle
The side aisles
The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door
From oblivion to the recovery of memory
Shapes and colours of the wooden ceiling
The ancient convent of the Martorana, a history of devotion and tradition
A remarkable ceiling
From the Mosque to the Cathedral
From earthquake to collapse
The mosaics of the presbytery
The beginning of the construction site
The return of water
The Cathedral over the centuries
The mosaics of the apses
The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work
The area of the Sanctuary
A Northern population
The cemetery of kings
The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex
The Admiral’s dedication
The king’s mark
The stone bible
The mosaics of the naves
The decorated facade
The senses tell the external architecture and the original layout
the Baroque interior
Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily
The Virgin Hodegetria
The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily
A building constructed in a short space of time
The senses tell the architecture
A new Cathedral
The Norman conquest of Sicily and the birth of a new Latin kingdom
The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy
the Baroque exterior
The senses tell restorations
The senses tell baroque decoration
Restorations
Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power
A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations
The Royal Throne
From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith
The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time
The Cassaro
The rediscovered palace
Beyond the harmony of proportions
Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God
The towers facing the facade used as bell towers
The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory
The Gualtiero Cathedral
An architectural crescendo
The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure
The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order
Criteria for the inclusion of Palermo Arab-Norman and the Cefalù and Monreale Cathedrals in the WHL
A controversial interpretation
The Genoard Park, the garden of pleasures and wonders
The Kings’ Cathedrals
Survey of the royal tombs
The senses tell the historical context
Saint Peter’s Chapel in the Royal Palace
The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral
A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content
Gold and light: the splendour of the mosaics in the Royal Chapel
The decorations on the bell tower
The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral
The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister
The Chapel of the Kings
Artistic elements in Peter’s ship
The beautiful Zisa and its garden: solacium regi among sounds, colours and scents
The flooring: shapes, motifs and iconography
The loca solatiorum: dwellings for recreation, well-being and hunting
Decorations
Squaring the circle
The mosaic cycle, an ascending path towards the light
Mosaic decoration
Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time
The Bible carved in stone
A space between the visible and the invisible
The architectural space
The architectural envelope: the Greek cross layout oriented towards the light
Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses
The transformations of the hall through the centuries
Palermo: the happiest city
The birth of the Norman kingdom
The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history
A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries
The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form
Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo
A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety
The senses tell the Zisa over the centuries
the roof of Paradise: one of the most representative works of medieval art
A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene
The senses tell the historical context
The senses tell the flooring
The mosaics of the transept and the apses
The architectural appearance and transformations over time
The senses tell the architecture and decorations
The chapel of St. Benedict
The senses tell Context 1
The opus sectile floor of the Palatine Chapel
The original design
Two initially similar towers, varied over time
The southern portico
The longest aisle
The lost chapel
Under the crosses of the Bema
Worship services
The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model
The interior of the church
The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon
The towers and the western facade
The Great Restoration
The balance between architecture and light
Ecclesia munita
Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
Transformations over the centuries
MiC – Ministero della Cultura
Legge 77/2006 - Misure Speciali di Tutela e Fruizione dei Siti Italiani di Interesse Culturale, Paesaggistico e Ambientale, inseriti nella “Lista Del Patrimonio Mondiale”, posti sotto la Tutela dell’ UNESCO Regione Siciliana.
Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana.
Parco archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento.
