Worship services

The central hall, in the medieval period, was used for its canonical function, i.e. the place for the assembly of Christians attending the sacred functions, while the two side aisles took on the role of a service ambulatory. Until the 15th century, the interior layout of the church remained almost u...
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The side aisles

The wings to the side of the hall were originally covered with a wooden roof; in the early eighteenth century they were profoundly transformed with the enlargement of [approfondimenti id="48101" testo_link="some chapels"] and the creation of new rooms for the clergy. The wooden roof was dismantled...
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The longest aisle

The Palermo Cathedral had the distinction of being the largest church in terms of length, compared to other contemporary churches in Sicily, with reference to the [approfondimenti id="48081" testo_link="cathedral buildings in Cefalù, Catania and Messina"]. It is likely that this particular feature ...
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A tree full of life

In the flat area of the portico façade, between the arched posts and the band above them ordered according to the theory of the saints, where scholars have always indicated the presence of a light carving in the form of whorls, with figures of various kinds originally treated with niello fields, th...
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The southern portico

On the southern façade of the Cathedral, there is an old access to the church, through the large external floor, adjacent to it. In a little-known passage of the Latin text, the [approfondimenti id="48037" testo_link="chronicles"] report the presence of an entrance archway on the southern façade,...
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A palimpsest of history

The Cathedral is located in the centre, in the heart of the ancient city, in an elevated position, close to the Royal Palace, to which it was connected by a covered street. There is a large open space on the southern front, which is now enclosed by a balustrade. This large square is not a simple ch...
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The Gualtiero Cathedral

The cathedral remained unchanged in its structure for almost a hundred years after the arrival of the Normans. During the reign of [approfondimenti id="48004" testo_link="William II"], grandson of [approfondimenti id="47989" testo_link="Roger II"], the church was restored and designed as an [approfo...
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From the Mosque to the Cathedral

When the Normans arrived, the [approfondimenti id="47980" testo_link="Gami Mosque"] in Palermo, which was immediately converted into a Christian church, was entrusted to the care of the [approfondimenti id="47984" testo_link="bishop Nicodemus"], who had taken refuge with the Byzantine clergy in the ...
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Palermo: the happiest city

During the period of Muslim domination of the island, from the ninth to the eleventh century, Palermo was a rich and prosperous capital, with over 350 thousand inhabitants. The city was the third most important throughout the Mediterranean, after the great Cordoba, belonging to the [approfondimenti ...
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A Northern population

The Normans, a Viking population from Normandy, landed in Messina in 1061 and conquered Palermo in 1071 under the leadership of two great leaders of the Altavilla family: [approfondimenti id="47962" testo_link="Robert Guiscard"] and his brother the [approfondimenti id="47964" testo_link="Great Count...
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