sight
The interior of the spaces of the presbytery area and the transept correspond to the volume, as designed by Roger’s original project. The difference between this part of the building and the other, consisting of the aisles, is the large triumphal arch, visible in its original height, on the transept side, and reduced by a sub-arch on the aisle side. The front of the transept leading into the apsidal spaces is characterised by the typical overlapping columns placed in angular niches. In the apsidal basin, the grandiose Christ Pantocrator, the King of Kings, emerges from the golden background. With his majestic embrace and stern but benevolent gaze, he welcomes the faithful while holding the Gospel firmly in his left hand. The volume has an open page, both in Greek and Latin, which contains the phrase from the Gospel of John: “I am the light of the world; Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
touch
The medieval church had the apse area as its only liturgical space. In smaller religious buildings, the apse had two small lateral service rooms for the safekeeping of sacred books and preparing the liturgy. In larger churches and cathedrals, these areas were enlarged, as in the case of the Cefalù Cathedral, through the construction of two apses mirroring the central one. Thus, in liturgical practice, the Prothesis apse and the Diaconicon apse took shape. The first contained the liturgical objects intended for the offertory and the Eucharist, while the second was furnished with cabinets containing the vestments of the officiants and the sacred books.
smell
The smell of wax wafts through the sacred area of the apse. The candles take their place in the central apse, near and on the altar, and are the symbol of the Light of God. The precious Paschal candle, which represents Jesus Light of the World, is also lit during Easter time. The candle from Cefalù has a column-shaped stem, while the historiated capital is decorated with an eagle and human figures. The patera, where the candle rests, is made of lumachella stone, coming from the nearby Rocca, and is decorated with three sphinxes.
