plinths

The plinth, or base, is one of the elements of a column’s pedestal. Since it rests directly on the ground, the dado and the cymatium are placed on top. The 18 columns of the nave of the Monreale Cathedral rest on 134cm square plinths. The plinth, in this case, is of particular importance because it unifies the differences – stylistic, material and above all formal – between the columns, even at an optical level. The size of the plinths, which are the same for all the columns, as well as that of the pulvinos, makes the size of the entire colonnade more homogeneous.