consisting of stone elements from different quarries, including lumachella, quarried from the Rocca di Cefalù.
The central aisle is defined, on each side, by a row of eight columns surmounted by pointed arches on which the masonry marking the upper space rises.
The columns made of different marbles, such as granite and cipolin, come from the spoliation of earlier factories from the classical period. Among the capitals
, some of them reused and are valuable examples of Romanesque sculpture. At the end of the sixteenth century, during the episcopate of Francesco Gonzaga
, the cathedral underwent a radical transformation with respect to the previous liturgical layout. On this occasion, the Norman ambo
, which rested on 7 columns, was dismantled. It had been made according to the traditional canons, inside the seventh bay of the right colonnade. At the same time, the ancient baptismal font
, present under the ambo, was removed and moved under the first bay of the same front.
The seven columns of the ambo, together with the eighth where the paschal candle
is placed were used to support the two great organs
placed on opposite sides, between the seventh and eighth columns of the nave.
A particular painting
, representing an interesting historical testimony, can be seen in the last column on the left of the nave.
The organs have recently been dismantled in order to berestored
and, at the same time,to recover the columns as part of a project designed to reinsert them in their original location. The nave is covered by a precious wooden ceiling dating back to the end of the 12th century, decorated with traditionally medieval paintings.
The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order
The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model
The cemetery of kings
A space between the visible and the invisible
The king’s mark
The area of the Sanctuary
Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily
The chapel of St. Benedict
The side aisles
The senses tell Context 1
The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily
A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety
The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form
A tree full of life
Cefalù: settlement evidence through time
The Great Restoration
Transformations over the centuries
A palimpsest of history
Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses
The lost chapel
The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex
The decorated facade
Artistic elements in Peter’s ship
The towers and the western facade
From the Mosque to the Cathedral
The cultural substrate through time
Roger II’s strategic design
The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history
Squaring the circle
A Northern population
The beginning of the construction site
The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral
Under the crosses of the Bema
The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy
The mosaics of the presbytery
Beyond the harmony of proportions
The balance between architecture and light
The towers facing the facade used as bell towers
The Gualtiero Cathedral
Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God
A controversial interpretation
Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period
Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves
The Virgin Hodegetria
A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries
The longest aisle
Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo
A remarkable ceiling
The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister
The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door
Mosaic decoration
Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time
The original design
A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries
The stone bible
Palermo: the happiest city
Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory
Ecclesia munita
A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations
The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon
Two initially similar towers, varied over time
Interior decorations
The southern portico
The Kings’ Cathedrals
The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time
The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure
A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content
The mosaics of the apses
Survey of the royal tombs
The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral
The chystro: a place between earth and sky
The Bible carved in stone
A new Cathedral
The transformations of the hall through the centuries
Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power
The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work
From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith
Worship services
The Cathedral over the centuries
The Chapel of the Kings
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.