Born in Monteroni di Lecce in 1728, he was ordained priest in 1752. A man of culture, he taught in numerous colleges and seminaries. In 1768, he was consecrated as a bishop by Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Stoppani. Years later, in 1793, he moved to Sicily as Archbishop of Palermo and Monreale at the ...

Commissioned by Archbishop Philip Lopez y Royo during the renovation of the Cathedral during the last decades of the 18th century, the sundial was designed in 1794/95 by Giuseppe Piazzi, a Theatine priest, professor of Astronomy at the University of Palermo and director of the Astronomical Observato...

Designed by Antonio Gambara in 1429, the Cathedral’s portico was also built using reused materials. It is contained between two lateral pylons with a triple order in a repeated pattern. Entrance is gained through three pointed arches resting on reused columns with capitals decorated with plant mot...

The barrel vault is a semi-circular roof made of brick, stone or stuccoed lintel, usually used as a ceiling for rectangular rooms. The lunettes are formed by other smaller barrel vaults that intersect the main vault at right angles in order to include rooms or windows inside. In the event that two b...

The nave is the main body of the religious building, intended for the assembly of the faithful. In the case of small churches, the nave is defined as a single room; for buildings of greater size and importance, the space is divided into several parts with a central nave or aisle and two or more sid...

The barrel vault, a construction element characteristic of Roman architecture, is one of the simplest, used since ancient times to even cover large spaces. Its shape is derived from the arch and the curvature, which can be rounded, lowered or raised. The longitudinal intersection of two barrel vaul...

In churches, the transept is a transverse body, inscribed within the perimeter of the building or projecting outwards, which is inserted between the presbytery area and the naves. It derives from the Latin words trans , meaning beyond, and saeptum , meaning enclosure. The transept intersects the lon...

In churches, the transept is a transverse body, inscribed within the perimeter of the building or projecting outwards, which is inserted between the presbytery area and the naves. It derives from the Latin words trans , meaning beyond, and saeptum , meaning enclosure. The transept intersects the lon...

The full-centre arch, also known as a round arch, is undoubtedly the most commonly used model, made famous by the Romans in amphitheatres and triumphal arches. The Italian term “tutto sesto”, used to describe these arches, comes from the Latin sextus , meaning compass, and it is characterised by...

The pointed arch, or ogival arch, consists of two circular arches intersecting at the apex. It was used in Islamic and Byzantine architecture and was revived in Sicily (in Cefalù, Palermo and Monreale) during the Norman-Swabian period. It also appeared in Cluny in 1088, with the construction of the...