Monreale Cathedral
the Great Presbytery

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

A significant trace, still visible in the architecture of Monreale Cathedral, can be attributed to Archbishop Giovanni Ruano , who built the Chapel of the Crucifix, his main work inside the Temple. It was consecrated in 1692, after a short period of work between the date of its design in 1686 by the Capuchin Friar Giovanni da Monreale , whose work was continued by the Jesuit Angelo Italia , and its completion in 1690.The portal , decorated with sacred and profane themes ,  Is located at the side of the Chapel of the Sacrament, which is accessed from the left wing of the transept. The decoration already suggests the celebratory purpose of this space, which was dedicated to the veneration of the crucifix and at the same time to the burial of the archbishop himself and his successors.
From the architecture of this place, consisting of a lowered barrel vault , it is possible to trace the original connection between the Church and the Royal Palace , destroyed by Cardinal Giovanni Borgia in order to build a road and later restored through the adoption of a covered passageway distinguished by grey marble walls.
Even from this area, the reference to the family of its founder becomes inescapable, as can be seen from the coats of arms that reach the ribs visible on the vault.

Roger II’s strategic design

The side aisles

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

The chapel of St. Benedict

Under the crosses of the Bema

The Bible carved in stone

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The rediscovered chapel

The cultural substrate through time

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

The Chapel of the Kings

The longest aisle

Ecclesia munita

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The king’s mark

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

A controversial interpretation

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

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

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

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

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

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

A space between the visible and the invisible

Mosaic decoration

A palimpsest of history

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The balance between architecture and light

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

A remarkable ceiling

The lost chapel

The mosaics of the apses

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The Cathedral over the centuries

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

Worship services

The beginning of the construction site

The senses tell Context 1

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

A Northern population

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

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

Transformations over the centuries

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

The Great Restoration

A tree full of life

Squaring the circle

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

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

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

The decorated facade

The Gualtiero Cathedral

The southern portico

The mosaics of the presbytery

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

Interior decorations

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

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

Beyond the harmony of proportions

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

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The Virgin Hodegetria

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The area of the Sanctuary

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

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The towers and the western facade

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

The cemetery of kings

The stone bible

The original design

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

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Palermo: the happiest city

A new Cathedral

Survey of the royal tombs

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses