Cefalù Cathedral
the church hall

Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves

In every corner of the Temple, we bear witness to an intimate dialogue between religion and architecture pervaded by alternating colours that blend together, giving only an apparent sense of homogeneity.
The stained-glass windows made in the early 1990s by the Palermo artist Michele Canzoneri , capture our attention, sending us back in time with the narration of biblical themes . Artistically decorated transparent panels were inserted in the splayed single-lancet windows of the naves and in the large window of the façade. Consisting of a combination of various forms of blown glass, in turn enriched with acrylic pigments, they replaced the previous non-valuable fixtures, from ancient lead sheets to more recent ones made of wooden material. Looking up from the aisles is a mystical path, which elevates us towards an intimate link with the Word of God. It begins with the fourteen pointed windows overlooking the central nave, with seven windows on each side, symbolically referring to the days of the Creation. The theme presented in the side aisles is echoed in the rich and vibrant narrative rhythm of the nine representations on each of the single-lancet windows on the walls. The Cathedral, which had remained unfinished over the centuries, was brought back to life with atmospheres typical of medieval construction sites, during the major restoration project opened in the 1980s.

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

The chapel of St. Benedict

A new Cathedral

The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

The original design

The stone bible

The mosaics of the apses

Roger II’s strategic design

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

Under the crosses of the Bema

The mosaics of the presbytery

The southern portico

Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time

A tree full of life

The rediscovered chapel

The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time

A palimpsest of history

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The cultural substrate through time

The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door

A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries

The beginning of the construction site

The Gualtiero Cathedral

The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form

Squaring the circle

The Virgin Hodegetria

Ecclesia munita

Mosaic decoration

The Great Restoration

A Northern population

The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order

Interior decorations

The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The longest aisle

The side aisles

A controversial interpretation

Survey of the royal tombs

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The lost chapel

The king’s mark

The Cathedral over the centuries

The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily

The Chapel of the Kings

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions

A space between the visible and the invisible

Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves

The cemetery of kings

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The Bible carved in stone

The decorated facade

From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

Beyond the harmony of proportions

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory

Worship services

The area of the Sanctuary

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

Palermo: the happiest city

The senses tell Context 1

The balance between architecture and light

The towers and the western facade

Transformations over the centuries

The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

A remarkable ceiling

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God