The pulvino is an architectural element, almost always of a load-bearing nature, but it can also be decorative. It is located above the column or pillar and has the function of supporting the weight of the masonry above it. It also acts as a link between the longitudinal momentum and the carried structure.
In Monreale, the pulvinos standardise and compensate for the differences in height and width present among the eighteen capitals of the nave’s columns. The pulvinos, cut obliquely at the bottom and vertically at the top, have mosaic decorations supporting both the arches and the walls above and end with a slightly projecting border. The upper wall containing the mosaic stories is located above the pulvinos.
