The worship of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, considered to be the champions of the Christian Church, spread to Sicily with the advent of the Normans, during the process of Latinisation and Christianisation of the island. Saul, later Paul, was a persecutor of Christians who, after his convers...

The worship of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, considered to be the champions of the Christian Church, spread to Sicily with the advent of the Normans, during the process of Latinisation and Christianisation of the island. The medieval chronicler Goffredo Malaterra notes that the Norman victor...

The mosaic cycle dedicated to Peter narrates various scenes from the life of the first bishop of Rome and his service to the Church. In the apse, he is depicted enthroned, while in the subsequent scenes, the narrative begins with the moment when Peter is in prison. The following scenes are featured:...

The silver altar, located under the large central apse featuring the Christ Pantocrator, was made in Rome in 1771 by the Frenchman Luigi Valadier, at the behest of Archbishop Francesco Testa. The altar is a late Roman Baroque piece, decorated on the lower section with five medallions depicting scene...

Born in London in 1118, he was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162. Killed in his cathedral in 1170 by order of Henry of England, he was proclaimed a martyr saint by Pope Alexander III in 1173. The archbishop, in fact, had repeatedly expressed his opposition to some of the sovereign's intentions and,...

The Madonna Enthroned also known as Maestà or sedes sapientiae is an iconography that appeared between the mid-13th century and the 14th century. In the representation of the Maestà (Majesty), Mary is depicted in the centre, holding the baby Jesus in her arms and seated on a very rich throne. She ...

In the Monreale Cathedral, the etimasia, which symbolises the expectation of Jesus' return, is represented in the vault of the arch where the great Christ Pantocrator is inserted. The empty throne that will welcome Christ as the universal judge at the end of time, as written in the Apocalypse, is de...

Founder of the Benedictine Order, St. Benedict was born in Norcia in 480. After living as a hermit and after years of preaching, he founded a monastery at Monte Cassino. In 529, the Benedictine order was born and, in 534, the Rule was drawn up, supported by Pope Gregory the Great, which proposed com...

The Benedictine order was founded around 529, in the monastery of Montecassino, by St Benedict of Norcia. The Rule, which proposed a communal life according to the principle of Ora et Labora, or pray and work, was drafted by St Benedict in 534 and also supported by Pope Gregory the Great. In the Mid...

The Benedictine order was founded around 529, in the monastery of Montecassino, by St Benedict of Norcia. The Rule, which proposed a communal life according to the principle of Ora et Labora, or pray and work, was drafted by St Benedict in 534 and also supported by Pope Gregory the Great. In the Mid...