Originally, according to tradition, depicted in the dome was the image of St Peter, symmetrical to St Paul, depicted in the right apse of the Diaconic. Some studies put forward the hypothesis that the image of St Andrew is the result of changes made as early as the 12th century. The Saint was, in fa...

The orb and cross, typical of the iconography of medieval art, is a Christian symbol already used by Emperor Theodosius on coins. From the Latin, globus cruciger, it is a sphere, symbolising the cosmos, with a cross at the top. Present in royal insignia, impressed on coins or in the hands of archang...

The Ciantro is the highest ranking dignity of the Palatine Chapter. The latter was established by King Roger II in 1132 and is a college of priests who perform the solemn liturgical functions of the church. It was the Ciantro of each period who promoted the necessary restoration work and in part the...

The first restorations date back to around the 14th century, during the Aragonese period. Two inscriptions, located under the windows of the north aisle, have been preserved. The first inscription bears the date 1344/45 and mentions Peter II's wife, Queen Elizabeth, as the financier of the work. The...

Biblia Pauperum, Latin for “Paupers’ Bible”, refers to the decorative and iconographic equipment of a church. In particular, all the paintings, frescoes, mosaics and other decorative cycles illustrating stories from the Old and New Testaments. The term Biblia Pauperum came into use in the Midd...

Born on 2 April 742, Charlemagne, known as Charles the Great, was the son of Pepin the Short and Bertrand de Laon. After his father's death he was elected King of the Franks in 768. Initially the kingdom was shared with his brother Carloman, who died in mysterious circumstances in 771. Charles was s...

The cosmatesque style takes its name from Cosma, son of Jacopo di Lorenzo and one of the members of the Cosmati family. The Cosmati were a family of Roman marble workers who, from the 12th to the 13th century, with their workshops, had numerous commissions for architectural and decorative work in ec...

The style of the flooring, together with the Islamic style and the cosmatesque component, is Byzantine-Cassinian. In fact, the works were influenced by the flooring of the Cathedral of Salerno, which Roger had certainly admired. The purely Benedictine influence is linked to the Church of Montecassin...

The Paschal candle, used in Easter night services as a symbol of the light of Christ rising and overcoming darkness, is usually placed at the end of the candelabrum, known as the patera. The candelabra of the Palatine Chapel, a masterpiece of the Sicilian Romanesque style, is currently located at th...

The royal throne, Romanesque in style and dating from the 12th century, is decorated in opus sectile. The royal throne is characterised by the extensive use of porphyry, a marble which became a symbol of strength and glory over the centuries and which, in the throne, takes on the significance of exa...