The Cefalù Cathedral was built by Roger II in 1131 as a dynastic mausoleum to house his mortal body. Architecturally, especially in its original design, it takes the form of a real fortress. Built in a strategic position, at the eastern end of the town, and under the fortress that dominates the sur...

The Cefalù Cathedral was built by Roger II in 1131 as a dynastic mausoleum to house his mortal body. Architecturally, especially in its original design, it takes the form of a real fortress. Built in a strategic position, at the eastern end of the town, and under the fortress that dominates the sur...

The chain is a horizontal structural element of the truss that serves to counteract the pushing action of the roof. The chain, also known as a "tie rod", is a simple structural system used since ancient times, both during construction and also for building consolidation....

The nave is the main body of the religious building, intended for the assembly of the faithful. Already used in ancient times, both by the Greeks and the Romans, the nave in Romanesque and Gothic churches symbolically recalls the path that the faithful take to reach the altar. The nave also refers t...

The Inquisition was an ecclesiastical institution of the Catholic Church which, through a Tribunal, controlled heresies or any doctrine contrary to Catholic orthodoxy. The origins of the Inquisition date back to the medieval period, between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th. ...

The apse, from the Latin absis, meaning arch, appears as a semi-cylindrical or polygonal structure and is present in both public buildings and churches. Usually, in churches, it concludes the main nave, beyond the presbytery, or the two side aisles and symbolises the privileged place where the prese...

In 1724, in Palermo, the public Act of Faith, or "auto de fe'", was celebrated. This solemn moment, in which the condemnation or penance inflicted by the Holy Office was publicly carried out, was one of the last celebrated by the Inquisition in Sicily. In fact, it dates from shortly before the suppr...

After the Protestant Reformation of 1517, initiated by Martin Luther, there was a need to convene a General Council of the Catholic Church in order to bring about internal reform and preserve the religious unity of the faithful. After the establishment of the Holy Office of the General Roman Inquisi...

The Cathedral of Monreale was built at the behest of King William II. The entire monumental complex consists of the church, the Benedictine monastery and the royal palace. The cathedral is accessed through a portico of 1770 at the center of which is placed the portal with the bronze door of Bonanno ...

The apse, from the Latin absis, meaning arch, appears as a semi-cylindrical or polygonal structure and is present in both public buildings and churches. Usually, in churches, it concludes the main nave, beyond the presbytery, or the two side aisles and symbolises the privileged place where the prese...