Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
The painted panels of the Cefalù Cathedral ceiling, arranged in horizontal axes, are 30cm high and 110m long. Traces of gold leaf, also found in the Palatine Chapel (iconographic similarities have also been found between Cefalù and the central aisle of the Palatine), and the precious blue lapis lazuli, the latter being considered royal, have been found among the bright colours. Despite the losses and the difficulty in reading some of the panels, it can be seen that the iconography, the result of a coherent process and skilled craftsmen, is diverse but features courtly, fantastic and natural world motifs. In the long continuous panels, subdivided into medallions decorated with a beaded motif, there are repeated decorative scenes with lions (the lion is often repeated as the heraldic coat of arms of the Hauteville family), antelopes, griffins, snakes, sphinxes, rabbits, birds in heraldic poses, peacocks with open tails, camels, elephants, gazelles, twin animals and the presence of hexagonal and octagonal designs, of Islamic inspiration, which recall the decorations of the carving below. The scene of the swan/ibis is particularly unique: elegant and with a long beak, the animal is caught fighting a snake, recalling the Egyptian motif of the sacred ibis. Interspersed with zoomorphic and branching plant decorations and floral motifs, other panels present depictions of warriors, falconers, hunters, horsemen, boldly outlined in black, and other men pointing at animals, playing instruments (including lutes, castanets, tambourines, cymbals, psalteries), dancing, drinking or holding cups and containers. The rendering of their costumes is refined, as is the study of expressions and physical characteristics. Other scenes are far more complex and feature the Tree of Life, the capturing of an animal, a peacock bearer, musicians on an elephant, a scribe, fantastic characters with fish tails and scenes of fighting.
Looking at the pitched roof of Cefalù Cathedral takes us back in time to when it was built as an unprecedented work in perfect harmony with the structure of the walls of the nave. It was so large and flooded with free light that special attention had to be paid to the construction aspects of its roof.
The solution adopted by the medieval carpenters was not limited to the choice of a truss configuration
, in respect of the Romanesque style, but to a system of elements extended to the entire base surface of the roof. The connection and interaction of the parts increased the absorption of thrust, using forward-looking strategies characteristic of the Gothic period.
These were already visible in the aesthetic and functional arrangement of the spindle-shaped series of chains designed to reduce weight-related inflection. Clues hidden in the outer bank of the walkway, which contains a pictorial decoration inspired by heraldic themes, lead us back to the first restorations, during the Ventimiglia period, in 1263.
The wooden ceiling subsequently underwent alterations during the 16th and 17th centuries that caused some of its elements from the period of the first construction to be moved from their original positions. In the middle of the nave of the Cefalù Cathedral, linked to a unified and, perhaps, broader decorative concept with the octagonal stars
in the attic, scenes painted
on boards arranged on horizontal axes develop with dynamic fluency.
A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content
From the Mosque to the Cathedral
The original design
The area of the Sanctuary
Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily
The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral
The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex
Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses
The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model
A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations
The side aisles
The Virgin Hodegetria
The Kings’ Cathedrals
The Great Restoration
A Northern population
The towers facing the facade used as bell towers
Under the crosses of the Bema
Interior decorations
A palimpsest of history
The mosaics of the presbytery
A remarkable ceiling
The longest aisle
A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries
The senses tell Context 1
Beyond the harmony of proportions
Ecclesia munita
A space between the visible and the invisible
The balance between architecture and light
The transformations of the hall through the centuries
Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period
The stone bible
The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy
The rediscovered chapel
The Bible carved in stone
The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history
Roger II’s strategic design
The cemetery of kings
The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily
The Gualtiero Cathedral
Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time
The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time
The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure
The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon
Survey of the royal tombs
Palermo: the happiest city
Cefalù: settlement evidence through time
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene
The beginning of the construction site
Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves
The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form
A controversial interpretation
From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith
The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory
Mosaic decoration
The Cathedral over the centuries
The decorated facade
The chapel of St. Benedict
The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister
Worship services
The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work
The king’s mark
A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety
The towers and the western facade
Artistic elements in Peter’s ship
The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door
Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
Transformations over the centuries
A tree full of life
The lost chapel
A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries
The Chapel of the Kings
The chystro: a place between earth and sky
The cultural substrate through time
The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral
Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power
The southern portico
Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God
The mosaics of the apses
Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo
The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order
Squaring the circle
A new Cathedral
Two initially similar towers, varied over time
MiC – Ministero della Cultura
Legge 77/2006 - Misure Speciali di Tutela e Fruizione dei Siti Italiani di Interesse Culturale, Paesaggistico e Ambientale, inseriti nella “Lista Del Patrimonio Mondiale”, posti sotto la Tutela dell’ UNESCO Regione Siciliana.
Assessorato dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana.
Parco archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento.
, in respect of the Romanesque style, but to a system of elements extended to the entire base surface of the roof. The connection and interaction of the parts increased the absorption of thrust, using forward-looking strategies characteristic of the Gothic period.
in the attic,
scenes painted
