Cefalù Cathedral
the church hall

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

In the Baroque and Neoclassical periods, many Italian Romanesque churches were affected by stylistic transformations, which were also carried out in important Sicilian religious buildings such as the cathedrals of Palermo and Catania .
These changes also involved the interior of the Cefalù Cathedral, with the insertion of a diversified Baroque decorative arrangement in the various areas of the building.
The walls of the aisles, still unfinished pending a mosaic decoration which was never carried out, were designed and embellished, according to 18th-century style, with the insertion of a number of chapels with wall decorations consisting of friezes, pilasters, frames and stucco sculptures of classical inspiration. As a result, the side aisles were covered with a barrel vault with lunettes , concealing the original roof.
The cultural approach to restoration, which developed in the early 20th century, encouraged a series of interventions to restore the Cathedral to its original appearance. However, nothing was achieved as a result of the work, which was carried out in several stages. On the contrary, it resulted in the loss of the cathedral’s historical fabric, leaving the interior devoid of any artistic or historical dignity.
The recovery of the original formal purity of the interiors was the subject of the last restoration in the 1980s, during which the walls of the aisles were treated with monochromatic plaster, bringing it closer to the intended appearance of this sacred space. According to Roger’s plan, the walls had to accommodate a mosaic decoration with a religious theme.

The Great Restoration

The towers and the western facade

A palimpsest of history

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The Cathedral over the centuries

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

The lost chapel

The original design

The chapel of St. Benedict

A Northern population

Under the crosses of the Bema

The Bible carved in stone

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

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

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The senses tell Context 1

The stone bible

A remarkable ceiling

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

Ecclesia munita

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

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The decorated facade

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

The beginning of the construction site

Roger II’s strategic design

Interior decorations

The Gualtiero Cathedral

The cultural substrate through time

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

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

Survey of the royal tombs

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

The side aisles

The longest aisle

Transformations over the centuries

A controversial interpretation

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

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

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

The cemetery of kings

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The Virgin Hodegetria

The balance between architecture and light

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Beyond the harmony of proportions

A tree full of life

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

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

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

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

Palermo: the happiest city

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

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

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

Mosaic decoration

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

The Chapel of the Kings

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

The king’s mark

The mosaics of the apses

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

Squaring the circle

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

The mosaics of the presbytery

The Kings’ Cathedrals

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

Worship services

A space between the visible and the invisible

The rediscovered chapel

The southern portico

A new Cathedral

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

The area of the Sanctuary

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

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