According to ancient philosophy, the soul of the world, or anima mundi, indicates the vitality of nature and the idea that every organism on the planet is intrinsically connected, and therefore linked to the other by a great, common universal soul. An expression of paganism and animism, anima mundi ...

The tree of life is composed of a geometric set of spirals into which twelve main tondos are inserted, in turn subdivided inside and populated by symbolic, allegorical and fantastic creatures. ...

The secrets of all iconography are concentrated within the woman depicted in the tree of life. There are three cocks, with red crests, watching over it, and hidden among the branches, in groups of three, there are other animals such as fish and moles, as well as a red-armoured crab and a snake....

Manuscripts and ancient books were usually decorated and embellished with miniatures. While initially it was reserved for small red details, especially in the letterhead, over time it became full-page illustrations. In the Middle Ages, a great impetus was given by the monasteries where, in the scrip...

Dating back to the 13th century, the tree of life in the Palermo Cathedral is a great allegory of the virtues that everyone should exercise to reach the light of Christ. Positioned in the portal, it is composed of a geometric set of spirals into which twelve main tondos are inserted, in turn subdivi...

Recent restorations have shown that in the construction of the southern elevation, specifically in the portico by Antonio Gambara, dated 1429, some artistic elements were reused. These include the columns, on which the three pointed arches rest; the first column on the left contains a reference to t...

After the restoration of the bell tower in 1726 by Giovanni Amico, numerous transformations were carried out from 1781, especially inside the Cathedral. While the initial project was the work of the royal architect Ferdinando Fuga, the work was carried out by the architect Venanzio Marvuglia, with m...

According to recent archival research conducted by scholar Géneviève Bresc, the construction of the southern portico is dated 1429. Previously, a date had been given, around the middle of the 15th century, during the Bishopric of Simone Bologna....

Ubertino De Marinis, a prominent figure in 15th century Palermo, was appointed judge of the Royal Grand Court several times. A pupil of Guglielmo de Perno, he was also Archbishop of Palermo from 1414. In the cathedral, he promoted work on the south elevation, which led to the construction of the ent...

Antonio Gambara is remembered for having created the central doorway of the Cathedral in 1426 and the southern portico a few years later. The latter, completed in 1453, thus after Gambara's death in 1442, created a sort of link between the cathedral and the Cassaro level. In Gothic-Catalan style, it...