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 Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory
A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries
Palermo: the happiest city
The balance between architecture and light
The lost chapel
The mosaics of the presbytery
The beginning of the construction site
The chystro: a place between earth and sky
The cultural substrate through time
The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister
The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order
Roger II’s strategic design
The king’s mark
Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
Artistic elements in Peter’s ship
The decorated facade
The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral
The chapel of St. Benedict
Interior decorations
The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy
A palimpsest of history
The original design
Ecclesia munita
The longest aisle
Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period
Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo
Worship services
The Great Restoration
The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral
A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content
The southern portico
Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves
The Cathedral over the centuries
Under the crosses of the Bema
Cefalù: settlement evidence through time
Two initially similar towers, varied over time
The towers and the western facade
The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon
The Bible carved in stone
From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith
Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily
Survey of the royal tombs
The Virgin Hodegetria
The rediscovered chapel
The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily
The Chapel of the Kings
The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work
A space between the visible and the invisible
Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses
A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety
A new Cathedral
The area of the Sanctuary
A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations
The Kings’ Cathedrals
Mosaic decoration
The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex
The Gualtiero Cathedral
The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form
The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history
The mosaics of the apses
Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power
Squaring the circle
Transformations over the centuries
A Northern population
The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time
The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model
The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure
The side aisles
A tree full of life
The cemetery of kings
The stone bible
The towers facing the facade used as bell towers
The transformations of the hall through the centuries
Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time
A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries
The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door
A controversial interpretation
From the Mosque to the Cathedral
Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene
Beyond the harmony of proportions
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.