Among the most important chronicles is De Principe Templo Panormitano, by Giovanni Maria Amato in 1728. Published in thirteen books and accompanied by original documents, it is a collection of stories, information and documents covering the period from the first building of the Cathedral to the present day.
Many documents were destroyed in 1860 when a bomb set fire to the Maramma, the Cathedral’s workshop, during clashes between Garibaldi’s and Bourbon troops. As well as housing the Archives, the Maramma also supervised the construction, restoration and maintenance of the works housed inside the Cathedral. There are also many works commissioned by the organisation, whose symbol was the two-headed eagle. With the destruction of the Maramma Archive, valuable sources were lost forever, which numerous scholars and historians had already made use of in the past, although not always faithfully.
