Cefalù Cathedral
the church hall

A space between the visible and the invisible

A place of experimentation in the late Romanesque age, closely linked to the monumental buildings of the great European churches, the Cefalù Cathedral draws a definitive dividing line between the earliest phase of the architecture in Norman Sicily. Entering Roger’s Temple, a path leads up from the porta regum  to the apsidal basin , where we are enveloped by an east-facing basilica-like space with a Latin cross plan .
The atmosphere is charged with symbolic elements , inviting us to embark on exodal path from darkness to light, religiously represented by Christ’s Parousiastic return through the anticipatory Altar of the Eucharist .
The thickness of the walls, even of the rear elevation, seems to emphasise the desire to draw a definitive line between the spiritual space of the Cathedral and the material space of the outside world, where the only light entering is that coming from a multitude of windows. It caresses the architectural masses of the liturgical spaces through the vibrant modulation of the colours of the contemporary stained-glass windows , evocative of the mosaic ornamentation that was supposed to decorate nave , but was never produced.

The senses tell Context 1

The king’s mark

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

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

The decorated facade

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The side aisles

A tree full of life

A space between the visible and the invisible

A Northern population

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The lost chapel

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The rediscovered chapel

The chapel of St. Benedict

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Roger II’s strategic design

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

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

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

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

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

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

The cultural substrate through time

The Virgin Hodegetria

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

A controversial interpretation

The Chapel of the Kings

The towers and the western facade

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

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

Transformations over the centuries

Mosaic decoration

Interior decorations

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

The beginning of the construction site

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

The Great Restoration

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

The mosaics of the apses

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

Under the crosses of the Bema

Squaring the circle

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

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

A new Cathedral

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

A palimpsest of history

The area of the Sanctuary

The balance between architecture and light

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

A remarkable ceiling

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

The cemetery of kings

Worship services

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The stone bible

The original design

Beyond the harmony of proportions

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The Bible carved in stone

The mosaics of the presbytery

The southern portico

The longest aisle

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

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

Survey of the royal tombs

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

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

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

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

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

Ecclesia munita

Palermo: the happiest city

The Gualtiero Cathedral

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The Cathedral over the centuries