The Norman kingdom of Sicily was born with Roger II of Hauteville on 25 December 1130, when he was crowned King of Sicily, Apulia, Calabria and Capua in the city of Palermo. From this moment on, the city of Palermo had three titles: Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput, i.e. the first seat of the King of Sicily, the place of his coronation and the capital of the Kingdom. The inscription “Prima Sedes, Corona Regi set Regni Caput” can be found in Palazzo Pretorio, in Villa Giulia’s Fountain of the Genius of Palermo and, of course, in the Cathedral. The latter recurs both in the mosaic panel surmounting the king’s canopy and in a marble plaque located in the southern portico.
