The Cassaro is situated in an elevated position, between the depressions of the Kemonia and Papireto rivers which, at that time, delimited the core of the ancient city. The sound of flowing water brought tranquillity to the people of the time, as they bustled around the ancient markets for spices an...

The Cathedral Choir can be found in the large Presbytery, a row of chiselled wooden stalls, built in the Catalan Gothic style in 1466. The first two stalls, on the right and left, are reserved for the Bishop and the Cathedral's Ciantro. The Cathedral Chapter, consisting of the canons, sits in the ch...

In the Chapel of Santa Rosalia, praises are sung to the Virgin Santuzza. It echoes the "Te Deum Laudamus". This same hymn was sung in 1625, when the Sacred Bones passed through the streets of the city, miraculously putting an end to the terrible plague epidemic that had devasted Palermo for years, c...

On the southern façade of the Cathedral, the faithful gather in front of the entrance to the church, in the large outdoor area. They gather under the marvellous Catalan Gothic portico, the work of Magister Antonio Gambara, and prepare to attend religious services. People from all walks of life are...

In the Basilica of Cefalù, there are two pipe organs that are currently being restored. The organs were placed in the choir lofts, resting on four small columns, in the first inter-column on the south and north sides of the central aisle. The first organ can be credited to Raffaele and dates back t...

After gathering in the square and sadly walking down the steps, the faithful pass through the royal gate, or Porta Regum, and enter the timeless and pathos-filled atmosphere of the Cefalù Cathedral. The chatter outside contrasts with the absolute and spiritual silence that reigns inside the buildin...

The tolling of the bells calls the faithful to morning mass. A small group of people begin to gather in the churchyard in front of the Cathedral. They are fishermen who, having spent the night at sea, are preparing to receive the Eucharist and thank God for the goods he has granted them....

Water is a fundamental element of the cloistered space, symbolic of salvation and purification. It flows from the lion and human mouths of the unique fountain, located at the corner between the western and southern aisles, a palimpsest of different stylistic features, into the round basin. The fount...

To add to the mystical atmosphere that characterised the Cathedral in medieval times, derived from the chants sung by the Benedictines, the space was enriched from 1503 onwards with different types of organs. The liturgy was thus enlivened by music, which, as St. Augustine claimed, was a prayer that...

The orderly ensemble of the many mouldings that make up the outer walls of the apses is formed by ogival arches, lower in height, which intersect each other on the same axes with a sinuous rhythm, almost as if to compose a silent melody. The contrast of colours seems to form the musical accompanimen...