Once the clergy’s appeal was accepted, the royal architect
Ferdinando Fuga
was commissioned to draw up a major project for the “restoration” of Palermo Cathedral. The project was then implemented in the construction work, carried out from 1781 to 1801 by the architects
Carlo Chenchi and Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia
, varying slightly from the initial design.
The project involved the entire cathedral with massive transformations, both inside and out.
The most striking feature was the insertion of the large arm through the
transept
.
At the intersection of the transept and the nave, the majestic drum and its dome were inserted, a feature that particularly denoted the external configuration of the church.
Thus, the interior of the hall was profoundly modified, in an engineering operation that was certainly daring for the time. In fact, the entire roof was dismantled and repositioned higher up, in order to raise the walls of the nave by more than two metres. This made it possible to create a large rounded
barrel vault
, in the prevailing neoclassical style, to cover the
nave
, in continuity with the new choir chapel, beyond the transept.
All the interior decoration was characterised by plaster and stucco, typical of the late 18th century, with a light colouring in shades of grey-blue and white.
The original
pointed arches
were modified and
round arches
were inserted, supported by large pillars, built to replace the previous
tetrastyle system
with Egyptian granite columns, which were first removed and, following a choral protest, relocated next to the new pillars.
