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 str...

Inside the Duomo, the royal throne takes its place five steps higher than the presbytery and near the pillar that delimits the transept crossing bay, opposite to the royal throne. It was positioned opposite the archiepiscopal throne, crowned by the coats of arms of William II and the Hauteville fami...

Inside the Duomo, the royal throne takes its place five steps higher than the presbytery and near the pillar that delimits the transept crossing bay, opposite to the royal throne. It was positioned opposite the archiepiscopal throne, crowned by the coats of arms of William II and the Hauteville fami...

Inside the Cathedral, the archiepiscopal throne takes its place before the presbytery and near the pillar that delimits the transept crossing bay, opposite to the royal throne. The latter position was probably not the original one since the cathedra is usually placed in the centre of the apse. The a...

The Abbot's Tower is a tall, narrow tower-like structure located in the east wing of the convent. Belonging to the old convent buildings, and also known as the Habitatione del Prelato, it was connected to the presbytery area of the cathedral and was linked to the chapter house on one of its four sid...

In the Latin cross layout, the nave and transept are of different lengths, while in the Greek cross layout the “arms” are equal in length. The transept, in fact, intersecting the longitudinal nave at right angles, gives the church its classic layout. The point of intersection, called the cross, ...

An artist active in southern Italy from 1179 and well documented throughout the following decade, Barisano da Trani, who undoubtedly had an important foundry in this city, worked on three bronze doors: for Trani Cathedral, Ravello Cathedral and Monreale Cathedral. In particular, in Monreale he dedic...

Capital, from the Latin capitellum, diminutive of caput , i.e. head, is an architectural element placed as the end of a load-bearing structure, such as a pilaster or a column. The capital is usually decorated according to the canons of the Classical period and the relevant styles: Doric, Ionic, Cori...

Bronze doors in the Middle Ages, in the 11th and 12th centuries, were widely used in religious buildings in Southern Italy, especially in Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Sicily. Of Roman origin, they were primarily used in Byzantine art, so much so that eight bronze doors arrived in Italy from Constanti...

From 1412, Sicily was a vice-kingdom of the Spanish crown of Aragon. The following years were characterised by a major commitment to building in order to renew the cities, especially the port cities of Palermo, Messina and Syracuse, from an urban and architectural point of view. Restorations, decora...