Travels in Italy--Palermo (Part 4 of 4)

Our peregrination of Palermo continues and concludes.

The Palatine Chapel:  On a high hill in Palermo, there is an ancient fortress that served as a palace and the seat of government over many centuries.  Today, the parliament of Sicily meets there. 

The inner courtyard of the royal palace

In the palace is a chapel from the 1100's decorated with beautiful mosaics, the Capella Palatina, or Palatine Chapel.  Like the Martorana chapel, the Capella Palatina is a harmonious fusion of three cultures--Norman, Byzantine and Islamic.  As you will notice, there are amazing gold mosaics here, just as there are in other beautiful churches and palazzos in Palermo.

If you look closely at the following photos, you will see the influence of the three cultures--Norman, Byzantine and Islamic.  Although Roger, who was Norman, conquered Palermo and much of Sicily, he was careful to honor the cultures and peoples already living there.  So, Norman language (Latin) and imagery appears alongside Byzantine language (Greek) and imagery and also next to Islamic language (Arabic) and imagery. 

Monreale:  On a high plateau overlooking Palermo is a large cathedral from the 1100's, the Cattedrale di Monreale, or Cathedral of Monreale.  The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The interior walls of the church are covered with beautiful mosaics, including many that depict scenes from the bible.  Built when literacy was scarce, the church serves as a pictorial bible for parishioners.  

The throne of William II, King of Sicily

The tomb of William II. 

While visiting Monreale, we saw beautiful flora.

Cathedral of Palermo:  In the center of Palermo, we visited the Cathedral of Palermo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Construction of the church began in the 12th century and lasted until 18th century.  It was built on the site of a Byzantine church that was converted to a mosque during the reign of the Moors.  The cathedral has many architectural elements--Norman, Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.

The bell tower of the Palermo Cathedral

The main altar of the cathedral

On the floor of the cathedral, a meridian line marks the progress of the noontime sun during the course of the year, like the meridian lines in Bologna and Florence. The line is marked with the twelve signs of the zodiac. 

The meridian line in the Cathedral of Palermo

Pisces and Cancer on the meridian line

The side chapel pictured below is dedicated to and contains the relics of Santa Rosalia.  Rosalia lived in the 1100's and was from a noble Norman family that claimed to be descended from Charlemagne.  She was deeply religious and lived out her adult life as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino near Palermo.  In 1624, a plague spread in Palermo.  Five centuries after her death, Rosalia "appeared" to a hunter and told him where to find her bones.  She said her bones should be paraded through the city.  After the parade of Rosalia's bones, the plague ended.  As result, Santa Rosalia is venerated as the patron saint of Palermo.

A side chapel dedicated to the patron saint of Palermo, Santa Rosalia.  Yes, the altar is real silver!

Santa Rosalia 

Thanks for visiting Palermo with us.