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.
Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses
The Great Restoration
The balance between architecture and light
The Gualtiero Cathedral
Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves
Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily
The cemetery of kings
The Virgin Hodegetria
The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door
The area of the Sanctuary
The decorated facade
From the Mosque to the Cathedral
The king’s mark
The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy
The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily
The southern portico
The side aisles
A controversial interpretation
Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God
The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory
Worship services
Mosaic decoration
The longest aisle
A Northern population
Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time
The stone bible
The mosaics of the apses
Squaring the circle
Interior decorations
Cefalù: settlement evidence through time
Ecclesia munita
Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period
The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure
The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral
Transformations over the centuries
A tree full of life
A space between the visible and the invisible
The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order
A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations
A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content
A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries
The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form
The chapel of St. Benedict
The Chapel of the Kings
The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history
The lost chapel
Under the crosses of the Bema
The rediscovered chapel
Palermo: the happiest city
A remarkable ceiling
Two initially similar towers, varied over time
Survey of the royal tombs
The Bible carved in stone
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene
The beginning of the construction site
From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith
The mosaics of the presbytery
The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time
The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work
The original design
A new Cathedral
Beyond the harmony of proportions
The cultural substrate through time
The chystro: a place between earth and sky
The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister
The towers and the western facade
The towers facing the facade used as bell towers
The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model
The transformations of the hall through the centuries
A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries
Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power
The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon
The senses tell Context 1
The Kings’ Cathedrals
A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety
Artistic elements in Peter’s ship
The Cathedral over the centuries
A palimpsest of history
The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral
The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex
Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions
Roger II’s strategic design
Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo
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
