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Palermo
Cathedral (Ecclesiae Matrici) 4th century: Christian basilica; [6th century: rebuilt]; 9th century: mosque; 1072: cathedral; 1185: rebuilt; 14th and 15th centuries: added to and embellished |
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Palermo
Cathedral (Ecclesiae Matrici) 4th century: Christian basilica; [6th century: rebuilt]; 9th century: mosque; 1072: cathedral; 1185: rebuilt; 14th and 15th centuries: added to and embellished |
An early-Christian cemetery chapel on this site was
converted into a Christian basilica in the 4th
century, but later destroyed by the Vandals. It was rebuilt in the late 6th
and early 7th centuries. In the 9th century it was
turned into a mosque by the Arabs, who nevertheless left intact a coffin
containing the remains of Aristotle. Restored to Christian worship by the
Normans (1072), at Christmas 1130 it was the setting for the coronation of Roger
II, the first Norman king of Sicily. After an earthquake in 1169, it was rebuilt
and considerably extended (1185) by Archbishop Walter Ophamil on the lines of
the great Anglo-Norman cathedrals designed by the Cluniac monks. It was also
used as a royal mausoleum and now houses, among others, the tombs of Roger II,
Henry VI and Constance of Hauteville, Frederick II and Constance of Aragon. The
corner towers and main façade were completed in the 14th century.
The magnificent south portico was finished in 1453. Between 1781 and 1801,
Archbishop Walter’s structure was completely remodelled in the late-Baroque
style.
The medieval building was of great length, with only a modest transept and a
circular walkway at the altar end, characterised by pointed arches and squat
columns of the Anglo-Norman type. The main body of the church, which had a
wooden ceiling, was divided into three by clustered piers (cruciform in plan)
with single capitals. The tripartite apse was joined directly to the transept.
As in Monreale Cathedral (same period), the central feature of the sanctuary
consisted of four massive piers supporting pointed arches to form a
square-shaped superstructure, probably without a cupola. In this respect, the
building was very similar in style to contemporary Romanesque cathedrals in Kent
and Lower Normandy. The external walls are richly decorated, the apses and
windows adorned with geometrical patterns, mainly of Islamic inspiration (based
on the circle), and Norman and Svevian motifs.
Vittorio Noto
Bibliography
Guido Di Stefano, "Monumenti della
Sicilia Normanna", Palermo, 1979
G. Bellafiore, "La Cattedrale di Palermo", Palermo 1976
Photography
Melo Minnella Palermo
