Palermo (Sicily) Lead seal Archbishop Walter Ophamil 1187

    Seal affixed to a deed witnessing to the transfer of the royal tombs by Walter, archbishop of Palermo, during reconstruction of the cathedral, which began under him in 1185.
The lead seal or "bull" shows on the obverse the Madonna and Child, to whom the cathedral is dedicated, and on the reverse a symbolic representation of the monument. The seal bears the Latin inscriptions: "Seal of St Mary's Church of Palermo" and "Church of Palermo".
The document to which it is attached is one of the rare contemporary archives of the cathedral reconstruction and was issued by one of the most powerful personages of the court of William II (1166-1189), Archbishop Walter Ophamil.

Dimensions of the object
3.7 x 3.2 (diameters)

Bibliography
- "L'età normanna e sveva in Sicilia", catalogo della mostra a Palazzo dei Normanni a Palermo, organizzata dall'Assemblea Regionale Siciliana, Palermo, 1994.

Location
Palermo, Tabularium of the Cathedral

Photography
G. Cappellani