The Cefalù Cathedral represents a definitive dividing line between the Norman architecture of the past and with Sicilian architecture. In Cefalù, there are influences from Northern Europe, which can also be traced back to the second reconstruction of the Basilica of Cluny, together with elements o...

The Majestas Domini, or Majesty of the Lord, is an iconographic formula which was widely adopted in the Middle Ages, especially in Romanesque and Gothic portals. In the representation, Christ is depicted enthroned and often blessing, in the middle of a mandorla. The mandorla, also known as vesica pi...

Manuscripts and ancient books were usually decorated and embellished with miniatures. While the miniature was initially 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, i...

The Monreale cathedral portal is an example of the reuse of ancient marble. It is made of spoliated marble: Greek marble, Parian marble and Proconnesian marble. It is cusp-shaped and has four ogival rings. It is richly decorated with bands of figurative, geometric and other abstract motifs in relief...

The Basilica of St Nicholas of Bari was built on a previous building after the 1087 arrival of St Nicholas of Myra’s relics in the Apulian city, Norman since 1071. Emblematic of Apulian Romanesque, it went through several construction phases, until 1197. Inside, there is a ciborium dating back to ...

Located in front of the portal, the prothyrum is formed of two columns supporting a vault, usually barrel vault. It is therefore set up as a small vestibule/lobby. This part of the portal also serves as a cover and protection for the entrance. In Romanesque art, two stylised lions are often found, a...

The frieze is an element intended for relief decoration. It is usually horizontal in composition. In classical art, it was placed in the temple between the architrave and the cornice....

Arabesque is a type of Hispanic-Islamic decoration, characterised by decorations with lines and shapes, representing spirals, plant and animal shapes, curved segments and other geometric ornaments. In Islamic buildings, where human or divine figures are not represented, arabesques form the main orna...

The master builder or architect Giovanni Panittera was responsible for the cathedral’s elevation, as confirmed by an inscription next to the large window on the western façade, dated 1240: "Anno dominice Incarnationis, MCCXI, mense Augusti, XIII indictione, per manum Iohannis Panicterae". Panitt...

After walking up the steps, access to Cefalù Cathedral was gained through the regal gate or Porta Regum. The importance of the Cathedral’s entrance is highlighted by the marble portal, richly ornamented with recessed rings decorated with figurative motifs, the iconographic design of which is not ...