Page 98 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

doves from the steps of the church.

FRUTTA DI MARTORANA

When Palermo’s religious houses were at their late medieval height, many supported

themselves by turning out remarkable sculpted confectionery – fruit and vegetables
made out of coloured almond paste. La Martorana was once famous for the quality of
its almond “fruits”, which were sold at the church doors, and today most Sicilian
pasticcerie continue the tradition. In Palermo these creations are known as frutta di
Martorana, and cake-shop windows usually display not only fruit but also fish and
shellfish made out of the same sickly almond mixture. The best time to see the

displays is in October, before the festival of Ognissanti (All Saints).

The mosaics

A series of spectacular mosaics is laid on and around the columns supporting La
Martorana’s main cupola – animated twelfth-century Greek works, commissioned by
the admiral himself, who was of Greek descent. A gentle Christ dominates the dome,
surrounded by angels, with the Apostles and the Madonna to the sides. The colours are
still strong, a golden background enlivened by azure, grape-red, light-green and white,
and, in the morning especially, light streams in through the high windows, picking out
the admirable craftsmanship. On both sides of the steps by the entrance, two more

original mosaic panels (from the destroyed Norman portico) have been set in frames
on the walls: a kneeling George of Antioch dedicating the church to the Virgin, and
King Roger being crowned by Christ – the diamond-studded monarch contrasted with
a larger, more simple and dignified Christ.