A Tale of Two Churches Palermo, Sicily
“I was enchanted …. the limpidity of the sky, the restless splendor of the sun, the beauty of the countryside, a certain excitement of the fantasy … which brought to mind the time when in the fields one encountered the divine.” - Jean Houel (French Painter)
Palermo located in what was named the golden basin (Conca D’Oro) by the Arabs is the capital of Sicily. Originally founded by the Phoenicians it has subsequently survived Carthaginian, Greek, Roman, Arab and Norman rule over the 2700 years of its existence. In more modern times it was the hub of the Mafia activities that prevailed throughout Sicily.
Today, Palermo is Sicily’s cultural, economic and tourism capital. A city rich in history, culture, art, music and food as well as it’s Mediterranean climate.
We left early morning from Palermo to beat the crowds of people who visit the cathedral of Monreale on any given day. From the bus park there are 84 steps that take visitors to the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele where the entrance to the cathedral is located. For a modest price of 2 Euro one can take one of the taxis that wait here to skip the stairs. Guess which option I took?
Statues of the Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated, and the fountain of the triton grace the square. Coffee shops, souvenir shops abound though most people from what I can see are here for the visit to the cathedral.
Monreale Cathedral is the world’s most famous Norman cathedral and one of the architectural marvels of the Middle Ages. There’s a saying in Palermo: “He who visits Palermo without visiting Monreale arrives as a donkey and leaves an ass.”
Founded by William II as a political and artistic statement designed to assert royal authority over the then Bishop of Palermo who was William’s great rival.
The fortress-like facade is not terribly remarkable and gives no hint of the wonders inside designed and executed by Arab, Norman and Byzantine architects and artisans.
The inside is shocking in scale, built in a classic Byzantine style from the Middle Ages with a Greek cross and two side aisles.
Visitors are dazzled by the Byzantine style floors, Corinthian columns and intricate carved wood ceiling. Gold, silver, enamel and marble mosaics depict scenes from the Old and the New Testament. There are a total of 68000 square feet of jaw dropping mosaics, the overall effect of which is created by putting gold leaf between glass pieces.
While we travel to marvel at wonders around the world, sometimes one can find some of these right in your backyard like a replica of this ceiling in the old courthouse in Santa Barbara.
The highlight, in the vault of the central apse, is a huge mosaic of Christ Pantocrater glowing like the sun.
At 60 feet tall, it’s the largest pantocrater in Europe. It depicts a long-haired Christ in glory raising his right hand in a two fingered Byzantine-style blessing.
Below him are images of the Virgin Mary enthroned with child and a row of saints. The side apses have scenes from the lives of Saint Peter and Paul.
Part of the original feud between WIlliam and Bishop of Palermo was the bishop’s refusal to let William’s father be buried in Cefalu cathedral. So, William made a statement in more ways than one. First by building this beautiful cathedral and secondly by making it the site of all royal Norman burials. Both he and his father are buried right here.
Tt’s hard to absorb all there is to see and admire and listen to the history and architectural detail at the same time. Our guide was telling us how pre-covid the groups could sit in pews while they looked around and she gave all the facts but post covid the pews are closed off and people start to fidget while standing when their feet and eyes are itching to move around and explore.
We left Monreale and headed for Palermo city to admire Palermo Cathedral that had been built by the Bishop of Palermo at the same time as Monreale was being created by William the II.
Many of the original city walls survive along with the gates. Since vehicular traffic is supposedly not allowed down the street where the Palermo Cathedral is located, we entered on foot through one of the surviving gates.
As we walked past the royal palace, we passed many buildings along the street that are going through a revival.
The wedding cake facade of the Palermo Cathedral. The Palermo Cathedral is a mix of Arab, Norman styles and has inscriptions from the Koran. It is speculated that these inscriptions were from components that were liberated from a mosque.
The intricate entrance portal has two Corinthian columns on each side and twisting arches above. At the top is a Byzantine style mosaic enclosed by a marble frame. The precious wooden doors are made of walnut, with 28 panels of finely carved decorations.
It is said that both William and the Bishop had heart attacks when they each got to view what the other had created.
The inside is relatively plain more so when you come here after visiting the cathedral at Monreale.
There is a pinhole that sheds light on the Zodiac that is etched on the floor. Unfortunately, there was so much foot traffic that it was impossible to get a good picture of this marvel.
The altar dedicated to the patron saint of Palermo, Saint Rosalia who is credited with ending the plague here in Sicily.
All that walking definitely justified the delicious Sicilian Pizza that I had for lunch. Pizza is such a ubiquitous food and yet the taste and flavor is so unique to every place that you taste one.
Any conversation about Palermo would definitely be incomplete without mentioning the Sicilian Mafia that dominated this region. The Monumento Strage di Capaci which we drove by and did not stop at is dedicated to all those who fell in the fight against the Mafia - judges, police officers, journalists and political activists.