Cefalù Cathedral
the facade and the portico

The senses tell the facade and the portico

sight
A fortress church

The main façade, rising to the west, is enclosed between two imposing square towers with a pyramid-shaped apex. They are a reminder of its original function as Ecclesia Munita, a fortress church, with a series of multi-level walkways, now uncovered, built within the thickness of the walls, connecting the two towers to the transept, in defence of the Cathedral.

touch
Magister Ambrosius of Como

Hands feel the coldness of the stone as they graze the front elevation of the Cathedral. Restored at the end of the 15th century, it houses the protruding body of the tetra-style portico, made by the magister Ambrosius da Como. It is subdivided into three large arches, two lateral pointed arches and a central full-centre one, supported by four columns. The dynamism of the ribbed cross vaults permeating the roof of the portico is reminiscent of the decorations on the ancient gate. Dating back to the second half of the 12th century, the gate is still a fine example of architecture today, although time has compromised the sculptural work by master stone carvers from the Romanesque period.

hearing
The Path to Salvation Begins

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 building, before the religious services begin. People gather in emotional personal prayer as they turn, with joined hands, to the grandiose Christ Pantocrator.

Squaring the circle

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

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

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

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

The original design

A remarkable ceiling

The Bible carved in stone

The Chapel of the Kings

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

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

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

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

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

Palermo: the happiest city

Mosaic decoration

The cultural substrate through time

Worship services

A Northern population

The longest aisle

The southern portico

The area of the Sanctuary

Survey of the royal tombs

Ecclesia munita

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The rediscovered chapel

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

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

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

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

A tree full of life

The cemetery of kings

A space between the visible and the invisible

The Cathedral over the centuries

A controversial interpretation

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The balance between architecture and light

The decorated facade

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

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

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The mosaics of the presbytery

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The chapel of St. Benedict

A palimpsest of history

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

Transformations over the centuries

The mosaics of the apses

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

The Great Restoration

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

Roger II’s strategic design

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

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The lost chapel

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

Beyond the harmony of proportions

The senses tell Context 1

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

Interior decorations

The king’s mark

Under the crosses of the Bema

The Virgin Hodegetria

The stone bible

The beginning of the construction site

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

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

The Gualtiero Cathedral

A new Cathedral

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

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

The towers and the western facade

The side aisles