Cefalù Cathedral
context 3

The senses tell the context 3

sight
A majestic rock mass

The Cefalù Cathedral stands out on a terrace perched on the imposing rock mass stretching out towards the sea and embraced by the jagged peaks of the Sicilian Apennines between the Nebrodi and Madonie mountains. If we look at the rest of the landscape, a sequence of silhouettes comes to life, built at different times and hierarchically dependent on the cathedral. These include the cloister, the bishop’s palace, the seminary with its adjoining courtyard and the Turniale, which dates from a later period, and are distributed along the northern side of the church. The latter appears as a large embankment functioning as a churchyard, also used as a burial place.

The senses tell Context 1

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

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

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

The towers and the western facade

The southern portico

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

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

Ecclesia munita

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The decorated facade

The cemetery of kings

The rediscovered chapel

The beginning of the construction site

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

The mosaics of the presbytery

The mosaics of the apses

The Gualtiero Cathedral

A new Cathedral

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

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The area of the Sanctuary

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

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

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

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The Great Restoration

The chapel of St. Benedict

A space between the visible and the invisible

The Kings’ Cathedrals

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

A controversial interpretation

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

The Chapel of the Kings

Under the crosses of the Bema

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The side aisles

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

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

Palermo: the happiest city

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

The lost chapel

The Virgin Hodegetria

A remarkable ceiling

Squaring the circle

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

A palimpsest of history

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

Beyond the harmony of proportions

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

Roger II’s strategic design

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

Interior decorations

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

The king’s mark

The longest aisle

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

The stone bible

A tree full of life

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

The cultural substrate through time

The original design

The Cathedral over the centuries

The balance between architecture and light

Transformations over the centuries

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

Survey of the royal tombs

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

Mosaic decoration

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The Bible carved in stone

A Northern population

Worship services

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex