The nave is the main body of the religious building, intended for the assembly of the faithful. Already used in ancient times, both by the Greeks and the Romans, the nave in Romanesque and Gothic churches symbolically recalls the path that the faithful take to reach the altar. The nave also refers t...

The Inquisition was an ecclesiastical institution of the Catholic Church which, through a Tribunal, controlled heresies or any doctrine contrary to Catholic orthodoxy. The origins of the Inquisition date back to the medieval period, between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th. ...

The apse, from the Latin absis, meaning arch, appears as a semi-cylindrical or polygonal structure and is present in both public buildings and churches. Usually, in churches, it concludes the main nave, beyond the presbytery, or the two side aisles and symbolises the privileged place where the prese...

In 1724, in Palermo, the public Act of Faith, or "auto de fe'", was celebrated. This solemn moment, in which the condemnation or penance inflicted by the Holy Office was publicly carried out, was one of the last celebrated by the Inquisition in Sicily. In fact, it dates from shortly before the suppr...

After the Protestant Reformation of 1517, initiated by Martin Luther, there was a need to convene a General Council of the Catholic Church in order to bring about internal reform and preserve the religious unity of the faithful. After the establishment of the Holy Office of the General Roman Inquisi...

The Cathedral of Monreale was built at the behest of King William II. The entire monumental complex consists of the church, the Benedictine monastery and the royal palace. The cathedral is accessed through a portico of 1770 at the center of which is placed the portal with the bronze door of Bonanno ...

The apse, from the Latin absis, meaning arch, appears as a semi-cylindrical or polygonal structure and is present in both public buildings and churches. Usually, in churches, it concludes the main nave, beyond the presbytery, or the two side aisles and symbolises the privileged place where the prese...

The lava inlay ornamentation of Palermo Cathedral is characterised by a decoration with geometric or floral figures in lava stone, housed in tuff ashlars. This type of feature is present in the eastern front, specifically in the decorative bands of the arches and in the oculi positioned at the top o...

After the restoration of the bell tower in 1726 by Giovanni Amico, numerous transformations were carried out from 1781, especially inside the Cathedral. While the initial project was the work of the royal architect Ferdinando Fuga, the work was carried out by the architect Venanzio Marvuglia, with m...

During the reconfiguration of Palermo Cathedral, carried out at the end of the 18th century, according to Ferdinando Fuga's project, the interior also underwent some changes: the dome and side chapels surmounted by small domes were added. Royal and imperial sarcophagi from the Norman-Swabian period ...