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 pres...

In Christian churches, the presbyteral space is the area around the high altar where the presbyters take their places to worship. This space is located at the end of the nave, ends with the apse and contains the altar. The presbytery is reserved for the clergy and deacons, and in some cases is locat...

Used by the Etruscans and the Romans, ancient porphyry is a variant that came from Ancient Egypt after it was conquered by Augustus following the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The Egyptians, in fact, used it in their works, associating it with royal power. From the 5th century AD it also became a symbo...

Completed at the behest of Admiral George of Antioch in 1131/2, the Admiral's Bridge connected Palermo with the gardens beyond the Oreto River. Made of stone with regular calcarenite ashlars, it has two symmetrical ramps supported by seven bays with pointed arches and recessed rings. Each arch is pu...

The architect Paolo Amato was born in Ciminna in 1634. Pupil of Angelo Italia, he became architect to the Senate of Palermo. Among his works in the Sicilian capital are the votive carts for the feast of Santa Rosalia, the church of the Santissimo Salvatore, the aedicule of the Genio del Garraffo, an...

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...

The Benedictine order was founded around 529, in the monastery of Montecassino, by St Benedict of Norcia. The Rule, which proposed a communal life according to the principle of Ora et Labora, or pray and work, was drafted by St Benedict in 534 and also supported by Pope Gregory the Great. In the Mid...

Hieratic and solemn, the half-length Christ Pantocrator appears and emerges from a precious golden background, like a casket of divine light. The Pantocrator, from the Greek word for ruler of all things, blesses the faithful with his right hand: the two arched fingers symbolise Christ's dual nature,...

The nave is the main body of the religious building, intended for the assembly of the faithful. In the case of small churches, the nave is defined as a single room; for buildings of greater size and importance, the space is divided into several parts with a central nave or aisle and two or more side...

The vault of the Chapel of San Castrense is divided into three equal parts with three lunettes featuring oval fresco decorations at the centre. The frescoes are characterised by the presence of framed emblems and inscriptions that make us think of the founder, Ludovico II de Torres. In the fresco ne...