In architecture, the cymatium is the uppermost, curved, projecting part of a cornice. From the Greek word κυμάτιον, meaning small wave, it was originally not an element of the cornice, but of the roof and was made of clay, decorated with lion heads and plant motifs. Later it became, instead,...

The crown, three gold rings with precious stones and a plaque, found in the tomb of Frederick II's first wife, Constance of Aragon, are kept in the Cathedral Treasury rooms. The crown made in the Royal Palace of Palermo’s workshop. Dating from before 1222, the date of the queen's death, the work c...

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...

The large choir chapel, at the time of its creation, merged the environment of the Titulus with the main apse and disconnected that of the Antititulus, isolating the prothesis and the diaconicon. In fact, as is customary, the Titulo and Antititulo were present in the Sanctuary area of the ancient No...

The Chapel of Saint Rosalia, in the southern apse, houses the remains of Saint Rosalia, the Patron Saint of Palermo. Through the brass gate and behind the silver altar, the very precious silver reliquary urn can be found. Made in 1631 by silversmiths Giuseppe Oliveri, Francesco Rivelo, Giancola Vivi...

In the northern apse of the Cathedral is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, entirely decorated with gilded stucco. The centrepiece of the chapel is the altar made entirely of lapis lazuli, an expression of the Baroque era, dated 1653 and designed by the architect and sculptor Cosimo Fonsaga (Fanza...

In the Latin cross layout, the nave and transept are of different lengths, while in the Greek cross layout the “arms” are equal in length. The transept, in fact, intersecting the longitudinal nave at right angles, gives the church its classic layout. The point of intersection, called the cross,...

Born in Palermo in 1729, Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia trained in his native city and later in Rome, where in 1758 he came second in the Premio Clementino and was greatly influenced by Winckelmann and the Neoclassical movement. He returned to Sicily between 1759 and 1760 and devoted himself to numerou...

The Maramma, or the Fabbrica della Cattedrale (Cathedral Workshop), supervised the construction, restoration and maintenance of the works housed inside the Cathedral. There are also many works commissioned by the organisation, whose symbol was the two-headed eagle. Documents were also stored in the ...

The Tribune was commissioned to the sculptor Antonello Gagini by Archbishop Giovanni Paternò around 1507. The artist worked on this monumental marble work from 1509 until 1536, the year of his death. It was then completed by his successors, his sons Giacomo, Antonio and Vincenzo in 1574. This grand...