|
The Norman City of Cefalù |
|
|
The Norman City of Cefalù |
|
| Cefalù lies on the North coast of Sicily halfway between Palermo and Messina. The coast forms a natural harbor that the Phoenicians first exploited in the ninth century, B.C.E. Subsequently conquered by the Greeks, Romans (who called it Cefaloedium), Byzantines, and Arabs (857 C.E.), the Normans arrived in Sicily during the eleventh century and conquered the island by 1091. King Roger II of Sicily built the cathedral and made Cefalù a center of Norman power, along with Palermo. |
|
Work on the cathedral began in 1131. Roger intended to make Cefalù the
burial site of his family. The exterior of the church was Norman in its style, but the
interior was furnished with mosaics executed by Byzantine craftsmen that Roger must have
brought to Cefalù from Italy or from Byzantium. The Byzantine
influence can be most readily seen in the design of the mosaics and the Greek lettering
embedded in them. The gospel book that Christ holds in his hand has a Greek text on the
left and the same text in Latin on the right.
| Cathedral | Cathedral, view from side and rear |
| Interior of Cathedral | Mosaic in apse, general view |
| Mosaic in apse, Christ Pantocrator | Mosaic in apse, detail of Gospel Book |
| Entering the citadel | Photographing the Cathedral | Temple of Venus 800 B.C. |
