In the Christian liturgy of the early centuries, the Bema was a sacred, elevated space in which the person officiating at the service proclaimed the Sacred Readings and addressed the faithful. In the Eastern Church, it indicated the area of the building reserved for the clergy with the altar, the ca...

While the naves of the Cathedral are covered with a wooden truss ceiling, the altar area is characterised by the use of vaults. The vaults of the Cathedral are of three different types and are located respectively in the Bema, in the three semicircular apses and in the rooms in front. Their use was ...

The truss is a load-bearing structure used in roofing, originally composed of wooden elements, also later replaced with iron. It is formed by two beams, known as rafters, inclined according to the pitch of the roof and connected together, horizontally, by another beam: the chain. Thanks to its trian...

The mosaic cycle dedicated to St. Paul is made up of various scenes that mainly testify to the conversion from Saul to Paul. In the centre, Paul is featured, enthroned, in the semi-dome. The narrative continues with Paul requesting the letters in Damascus; the Conversion; Paul being led to Damascus;...

The worship of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, considered to be the champions of the Christian Church, spread to Sicily with the advent of the Normans, during the process of Latinisation and Christianisation of the island. Saul, later Paul, was a persecutor of Christians who, after his convers...

The worship of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, considered to be the champions of the Christian Church, spread to Sicily with the advent of the Normans, during the process of Latinisation and Christianisation of the island. The medieval chronicler Goffredo Malaterra notes that the Norman victor...

The mosaic cycle dedicated to Peter narrates various scenes from the life of the first bishop of Rome and his service to the Church. In the apse, he is depicted enthroned, while in the subsequent scenes, the narrative begins with the moment when Peter is in prison. The following scenes are featured:...

The silver altar, located under the large central apse featuring the Christ Pantocrator, was made in Rome in 1771 by the Frenchman Luigi Valadier, at the behest of Archbishop Francesco Testa. The altar is a late Roman Baroque piece, decorated on the lower section with five medallions depicting scene...

Born in London in 1118, he was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162. Killed in his cathedral in 1170 by order of Henry of England, he was proclaimed a martyr saint by Pope Alexander III in 1173. The archbishop, in fact, had repeatedly expressed his opposition to some of the sovereign's intentions and,...

The Madonna Enthroned also known as Maestà or sedes sapientiae is an iconography that appeared between the mid-13th century and the 14th century. In the representation of the Maestà (Majesty), Mary is depicted in the centre, holding the baby Jesus in her arms and seated on a very rich throne. She ...