Palermo's Cathedral

[bixaorellana]

This massive building, the cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was constructed at the end of the 12th century and added to, renovated, and messed with into the 19th century. Facts here and further interesting reading here.







The cathedral is entered from the side, rather than from the original front door which would be beneath the arches in the first picture.
The sheer size bewildered me, which I hope these three pictures will illustrate ~







This is what first caught my eye upon entering. It is big ~









But look, help is at hand in the form of one of my favorite things: a model!
You can view it full-size by clicking here and activating the plus sign on the cursor.

[bixaorellana]

There is gorgeous marble and stone inlay work throughout, and elaborate details up into the highest corners ~













In keeping with the helpfulness of the model, there is also a handy guide as to which relics can be found where ~

[bixaorellana]

We are entering the chapel of the reliquary of St. Rosalia, patron of Palermo ~







Details from a side wall of the chapel ~

Giant silver urns are always impressive, but so are large objects made of lapis lazuli, such as this Altar of the Sacrament designed and built by Cosimo Fanzago in the 17th century. source

More lapis ~



There were sarcophagi all around the walls of the cathedral. One I had paid little attention to because of its modernity turned out to belong to this person, honored here with art work ~

[htmb]

Bixa, what an incredible place. I don't typically care for ornately decorated cathedrals, but this one seems to be pretty spectacular. Also, your photos are outstanding, as always.

[bixaorellana]

Aw, too kind -- thank you! The place is so huge that it can absorb all those fancy things.
Really, the Baroque stuff to me does not seem like religious art at all, in the sense that early Renaissance or Byzantine art, say, can feel as though it is expressing true spiritual beliefs of the artists. Exuberant, technically dazzling and often quite beautiful, yes, but to me Baroque feels more like a showcase for the artists' skills.

Speaking of art, here is another temporary gallery, this time showcasing works depicting St. Rosalia ~

And more of the art to be seen throughout the cathedral ~

The diagonal line on the floor runs north and south and is called La Meridiana. It is part of the heliometer -- a pinhole in one of the domes that projects an image of the sun on the floor at solar noon. It was added in 1690 and is decorated with the signs of the zodiac ~

[bixaorellana]

Now it must be revealed that a major part of my interest in the cathedral was my desire to climb up to its roof. After warning me that it was 110 steps up to the roof (coincidentally, the number of pictures in this thread), the docent accepted an extra two euros from me so I could go off and entertain myself with other attractions in the cathedral while I waited for the next roof session to begin.

One of those attractions was the treasury ~

[bixaorellana]

And now here we go down, down, down to the other attraction -- the crypt.

The Crypt ... houses the remains of Archbishop Walter, who in the twelfth century ordered construction of this cathedral, overlaying the earlier church and mosque, and sections of it may have been part of the original Byzantine structure. In addition to Walter, Saint Nicodemus, Orthodox bishop of Palermo in 1071, is also buried here. At one end is an altar in white marble bearing Byzantine mosaic detailing - perhaps transferred downstairs during the eighteenth-century remodeling - and a Roman sarcophagus from ancient Panormus. Unlike many other parts of the cathedral, the crypt retains its original form, with stark, heavy Romanesque arches and stonework. Quite obviously, a piece of a Punic wall of huge stones (incorporated into the earlier cathedrals) protrudes from the curved wall of an apse. The crypt open to visitors is not actually the deepest area of the cathedral complex; there are tunnels and ancient ruins - including the remains of catacombs - far beneath the church and under the large cathedral square. Nor is it the largest grave site nearby; a simple monument in the centre of Piazza Sett'Angeli, the open square behind the apse, commemorates the deaths of some two hundred people during an Allied bombing raid which in 1943 destroyed a building there, where the nameless dead are buried. The cathedral itself was virtually untouched by the hostilities. source







I include this blurry picture to show the two people in it. Never was I so glad to see  live people.
It embarrasses me to say it, but I really had the creeps down in that dungeony place. 





















See? Creepy!



Whew -- enough of that!

[bixaorellana]

I get to go up on the roof! This was up, up, up a narrow stone caracol staircase. I stopped just before the top to take the first four pictures here, the fourth of which is zoomed. When you all see how many pictures I took, you'll probably want to push me off a roof.









Yaay ~ up on the roof ridge!

[bixaorellana]

[bixaorellana]

" ... the Duomo is a royal pantheon, sheltering many tombs of Sicily's kings. The first chapel on the right contains six of the most impressive tombs, including that of Roger II, the first king of Sicily (d. 1154). He was crowned in the Duomo in 1130.
Squeezed into an enclosure by the south porch are the remains of Roger's daughter Constance (d. 1198) and her husband, Henry VI (d. 1197). Henry VI was emperor of Germany and the son of Frederick Barbarossa. Also buried here is their son, Frederick II (d. 1250), also emperor of Germany and king of Sicily, and his wife, Constance of Aragón (d. 1222). The last royal burial here, of Peter II, king of Sicily, was in 1342."  source

And some more interesting background on the royal tombs here.

I read that fresh flowers are frequently left on Frederick II's tomb by German tourists ~
























Poor Frederick II was not left to rest in peace ~





A last look back as I conclude my visit and leave the cathedral ~



Out through the lofty doors whose relief carvings show "deer, boar and other game once hunted in Sicily but long extinct. There are also deerhounds, lizards and mythological and religious figures." source

[mossie]

It never ceases to amaze me, how much effort and real dedicated craftsmanship, was put into these buildings. It puts todays public works to shame.

[fumobici]

There's so much to take in here, I'll try to be brief. First, this is a magnificent building obviously and beautifully captured. It exhibits the cosmopolitan melange of styles that seems to typify Sicilian historical architecture. There are hints of Moorish and Spanish, the stonework, bas reliefs and inlaying are however sui generis--I can't think of any comparable work in Europe--it's almost closer to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul in that respect. This is clearly not Italian, there's much more going on. The interior is at first glance not extraordinary, it reminds me a bit of the duomo in Ravenna, but closer inspection reveals so, so much more.

In no particular order: the English translation of the potted bio of Padre Puglisi from the Italian is so loose, it's falling off. They obviously need to hire a translator such as myself to set things right. The 'Meridiana' in the floor with the artful inlays portraying the Zodiac symbols is fantastic, it reminds me of the similar but less artful line in that old, huge dark church in Paris in the Sixth with a similar feature whose name escapes me at the moment. I've never seen one of those in Italy proper. The crypt is another amazing feature of this building, the depth of history evident is mind boggling. The views from the roof look more like Spain or, dare I say, even Mexico(!) than Italy. Also visible from the roof are the decorative battlements with their pointy merlons along the eaves, I can't recall seeing a duomo with those before. The tombs of the king's with their funny foreign names--this is obviously a place of great historic import--and the tale of the tomb of Frederick II is wonderful and bizarre! Pity there isn't an English version though I can translate it if need be.

[bixaorellana]

Mossie, sometimes I wonder why people don't understand that it's usually just as easy -- often easier -- to do something right rather than to slop it out wrong.

Fumobici, thanks so much for your close attention to the thread. I feel strongly that you need to get yourself to Sicily.

Re: mosque ~ I see you caught the muqarna ceiling in the dome over St. Rosalia's chapel, and certainly the entrance and the work on Roger's & Frederick's tombs, among other touches. It is dreadful to think what has been lost in the various renovations.*

Meridians: I need to update Java to see the first part of this link, but scroll down to see the rest of the page which is full of great links and a list of the churches with meridians ~ www.jgiesen.de/meridian/index.html

On translations: even I could see in the first sentence of Padre Puglisi's biography that the original wording & import was lost. I don't expect you to have to translate here, but if you could tell why Frederick II was disinterred, I'd be most interested.**

* I was just going to say that the Madonna over the entry was the only remaining mosaic, when I realized that it not in this thread. It was the first in the cathedral group & I failed to include it when I uploaded to Flickr. I will rectify that in the OP when I finish this post.

**Not really germane, but fun: A Damascene chronicler, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, left a physical description of Frederick based on the testimony of those who had seen the emperor in person in Jerusalem: "The Emperor was covered with red hair, was bald and myopic. Had he been a slave, he would not have fetched 200 dirhams at market." Frederick's eyes were described variously as blue, or "green like those of a serpent". source

[bjd]

Fumobici, you are thinking of Saint Sulpice in Paris -- a church I visited only once, unfortunately shortly after the publication of The DaVinci Code. It was full of people following some clue from the book/movie.

Some information about the opening of Frederick's tomb for you, Bixa: server11.infn.it/pub/galileo/galileo_eng/archivio/mag/981219/3_art.html

[htmb]

I have loved seeing these photographs, Bixa. I can certainly relate to the creepiness of the crypt, but appreciate your efforts on our behalf.

The rooftop photos are my absolute favorites! Every picture looks like a little jewel box. I have never thought Palermo would appeal to me, but the scenery you've photographed from above is gorgeous.

Zodiac figures inside a church?

[fumobici]

The translation has nothing to say on Frederick's disinterment but it was a fun challenge translating (or trying to) archaic 19th century Italian with even older quoted descriptions in even more obscure dialect embedded within. For whatever it might be worth:

Three bodies.

The first body on the right covered by a royal mantle "everything cooked in a sack" with a sword alongside (Peter of Aragorn).

The second "reduced to bare bones", with an arm extended under the first body wrapped in a threadbare standard and two golden rings with semi-precious stones (unknown woman).

The third (Frederick II), "excellently preserved" with the body placed on a cushion of leather alongside which was the metal globe, missing its cross.

The body of Frederick II exhibits:

On his head an open crown with gilded silver rays decorated with with small pearls and stones.

Three garments:

The first, innermost of flax similar to a narrow alb beside a cord of flax, with silk embroidery with a cross beneath the left elbow and an inscription in gold in kufic (early Arab) script on the sleeves.

The second garment of bright red silk, similar to a dalmatic tunic with wide sleeves with braids, fastened with a silk belt decorated with roses in gilded silver.

The third a cope in silk of the same color embroidered with small eagles, secured by a gold clip of oval shape with an amathyst in the center, surrrounded by twenty small emeralds and four large pearls on the sides. Thighs and legs covered with flax cloth and silk ankle boots his shoes "in cuitomalo [translaters note: NFI] decorated with, in the middle of a circle, with the motto "keep courage".

On the left side a rusted sword with part of its scabbard with chape in steel and wooden grip adorned with gilded silver wire, belt formed from a braid of silk with gilded silver stud.

The ungloved hands crossed on the stomach, on the middle finger of the right hand a gold ring with a large emerald.

[nycgirl]

What a spectacular building. There are so many interesting things to look at. I also would have been creeped out in the crypt. The photos showing the beautiful rooftop views are my favorite.

Thanks for the translation, Fumo.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks to you all for the great feedback!

Bjd, that's sort of funny that you wound up in a crowd of the Dan Brown goofballs. Thank you for that fascinating link. It prompted me to look further and, although I didn't find any more solid information, I did turn up two entertaining pages on the subject. This one is full of sprightly and acid remarks on the cathedral and its contents. And this page celebrates the emperor in terms that make you wish for a series on him a la "The Borgias". Alas, the translation work is not nearly as graceful as Fumobici's.

Thank you, Htmb! I guess you could tell that the roof was (ahem) the high point of the visit for me. Re: the zodiac figures ~ please see my reply in #12, "Meridians".

Fumobici, thanks so much for that lovely translation. In the first link in my reply to Bjd above, it relates the astonishment upon finding the treasure you describe >>gone<< when the tomb was reopened in 1994 -- an absence ascribed to German troops in 1943, who naturally would have put everything neatly back the way they found it after making off with the treasure. Uh-huh.

Thank you, NYCGirl. That crypt was damp, cold, & smelled of mildew -- urk!

[Deleted]

Lots of stunning photos in this report and at least there is one picture with people in it to give an impression of the size of everything, which is hard to imagine when there is nothing to give some perspective. Of course how much you had to tilt your camera to take in the ceilings implies that it is way up there!

I suppose it is really difficult for the builders and renovators to decide when to stop adding more decorations, which is why they never stop piling on more and more as long as they find more space -- or create more space. Of course in France, a lot of effort would have gone into installing stained glass windows, which is clearly not the case here. I like the zodiac on the floor, which seems pleasantly transgressive, even if astrology was never in open conflict with the Church in spite of its pagan images. The Meridiana is transgressive all in itself, breaking the symmetry of all of the rest of the architecture. I absolutely cannot imagine that it did not create great controversy back in 1690.

The crypt looks really interesting, and of course I know that it must have been much darker than your photos show, since all of our cameras insist on "correcting" the lighting. I always try to imagine what it must have been like in such places when you had to carry just a candlestick or a torch to get around.

I love the photos of the city taken from the roof with all of the harmony of architecture and the forest of domes spread throughout -- and not a modern building in sight, although there must be a few here and there. It looks like the building code is well respected, which is more than can be said of a lot of cities.

[bixaorellana]

Speaking of Frederick II ~

The Modern History of Ornithology Starts With This Inquisitive Medieval Emperor     <-- click