Page 103 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

The Cattedrale

Piazza Cattedrale • Cattedrale Mon–Sat 7am–7pm, Sun 8am–1pm & 4–7pm; closed during services • Area
Monumentale Mon–Sat: March–Oct 9am–5.30pm; Nov–Feb 9am–1.30pm • €3, or €7 including roof tour • Roof
Mon–Sat: March–Oct 9am–5.30pm • €5 • 091 334 373, cattedrale.palermo.it

Walking down Corso Vittorio Emanuele from the Quattro Canti, there’s no preparation
for the sudden, huge bulk of the Cattedrale, an even more substantial Norman relic
than the royal palace. Founded in 1185 by Palermo’s English archbishop Gualtiero
Offamiglio (Walter of the Mill), the cathedral was intended to be his power base in

the city. Yet it wasn’t finished for centuries, and in any case was quickly superseded
by the glories of William II’s foundation at Monreale. Less-than-subtle late eighteenth-
century alterations added a dome – completely out of character – and spoiled the fine
lines of the tawny stone. Still, the triple-apsed eastern end (seen from a side road off
the Corso) and the lovely matching towers are all twelfth-century originals and,
despite the fussy Catalan-Gothic facade, there’s enough Norman carving and detail to

give the exterior more than mere curiosity value. The same is not true, however, of the
overblown interior, which was modernized by Fuga, the Neapolitan architect
responsible for the dome. Instead, the main interest inside resides in the Area
Monumentale, where you can view the royal tombs, Palermo’s pantheon of kings and
emperors. Gathered together in two crowded chapels are the mortal remains of some
of Sicily’s most famous monarchs, notably Frederick II (left front) and his wife

Constance (far right), Henry VI (right front) and Roger II (rear left). In a reliquary
chapel to the right of the choir the remains of city patron, Santa Rosalia, are housed in
a silver casket, while in the treasury, or tesoro, is a rare twelfth-century jewel- and
pearl-encrusted skullcap and three simple, precious rings removed from the tomb of

Constance of Aragon in the eighteenth century. The crypt is home to 23 impressive
marble tombs, many of which are actually ancient sarcophagi with interesting
decoration – no. 12 is a Greek sarcophagus boasting an imposing effigy by Antonello
Gagini, one of a prolific dynasty of talented medieval sculptors who covered Sicily
with their creations.

In summer, you can take a tour of the cathedral roof, reached via a spiral staircase in
one of the towers, for breathtaking views of Palermo and a chance to appreciate the

intricacy of the Arab-Norman architecture below.

Museo Diocesano

Tues–Fri 9.30am–1.30pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 9am–1.30pm • €4.50 • 091 334 373
At the western end of the cathedral, over the road, stands the Palazzo Arcivescovile,
the one-time archbishop’s palace, entered through a fifteenth-century gateway. One

wing of it holds the Museo Diocesano, which brings together religious art from the
cathedral and from city churches destroyed during World War II. There’s some