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