Palermo Cathedral, Palermo, Italy

Palermo Cathedral was erected in 1185 by Walter Ophamil (or Walter of the Mill), the Anglo-Norman archbishop of Palermo and King William II's minister, on the area of an earlier Byzantine basilica. By all accounts this earlier church was founded by Pope Gregory I and was later turned into a mosque by the Saracens after their conquest of the city in the 9th century. Ophamil is buried in a sarcophagus in the church's crypt. The medieval edifice had a basilica plan with three apses, of which only some minor architectural elements survive today.

The upper orders of the corner towers were built between the 14th and the 15th centuries, while in the early Renaissance period the southern porch was added. The present neoclassical appearance dates from the work carried out over the two decades 1781 to 1801, supervised by Ferdinando Fuga and Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia. During this period the great retable by Gagini, decorated with statues, friezes and reliefs, was destroyed and the sculptures moved to different parts of the basilica. Also by Fuga are the great dome emerging from the main body of the building, and the smaller domes covering the aisles' ceilings.

In the right aisle, in the first and second chapel communicating with one another, are the monumental tombs of King Roger II, his daughter Queen Constance I of Sicily, her husband Emperor Henry VI, and their son Emperor Frederick II, as well as the burials of Frederick's first wife Constance of Aragon and his great-great-grandson William II, Duke of Athens on the side walls.

Palermo Cathedral is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Easy Touring (2 months ago)
I've never have seen so may a different traces from diverse civilizations in just one building! A historical witness still standing on the city centre, example of important mediterranean cultures that settled in the island over the course of centuries... needless to say about the rich architectural details. I must-see in South Europe without a doubt

Ognyan Ivanov (2 months ago)
An amazing place from outside and from inside. Beautiful architecture with many sculptures and so many details. Also the yard is surrounded by sculptures of Saints. Inside the cathedral also many sculptures and fabulous pictures! Strongly recommended and an absolute must-see!

Arthit Yodyunyong (2 months ago)
Fantastic! I couldn't remember much about my visit in Palermo long time ago but when I saw this incredibly marvellous Cathedral my memory was coming back. Nowadays you can also visit the rooftop with the wonderful panoramic view of Palermo and the staffs were very helpful. I noticed there were many italian visitors in the night. There must be something special about that. The Cathedral even has a toilet inside. It's well hidden behind the altar in the side chapel. There was no sign and you have to get inside really close to the altar to see it.

Marko Cvetkovic (2 months ago)
For me the most particular and the most fascinating cathedral in Sicily. From outside it looks great with the park in front. Inside you can find the history treasures and climb on top. The view on top is nothing special, so I suggest only the treasures ticket.

Andreea Arion (3 months ago)
It might be nice if they cleaned and renovated it and the square it's in, but like everything else in the city it's falling apart and the city won't renovate anything. Lining it's pockets, no doubt.

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The famous Italian Medici family have given two queens to France: Catherine, the spouse of Henry II, and Marie, widow of Henry IV, who built the current Luxembourg palace. Maria di Medici had never been happy at the Louvre, still semi-medieval, where the fickle king, did not hesitate to receive his mistresses. The death of Henry IV, assassinated in 1610, left the way open for Marie's project. When she became regent, she was able to give special attention to the construction of an imposing modern residence that would be reminiscent of the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens in Florence, where she grew up. The development of the 25-hectare park, which was to serve as a jewel-case for the palace, began immediately.

The architect, Salomon de Brosse, began the work in 1615. Only 16 years later was the palace was completed. Palace of Luxembourg affords a transition between the Renaissance and the Classical period.

In 1750, the Director of the King's Buildings installed in the wing the first public art-gallery in France, in which French and foreign canvases of the royal collections are shown. The Count of Provence and future Louis XVIII, who was living in Petit Luxembourg, had this gallery closed in 1780: leaving to emigrate, he fled from the palace in June 1791.

During the French Revolution the palace was first abandoned and then moved as a national prison. After that it was the seat of the French Directory, and in 1799, the home of the Sénat conservateur and the first residence of Napoleon Bonaparte, as First Consul of the French Republic. The old apartments of Maria di Medici were altered. The floor, which the 80 senators only occupied in 1804, was built in the middle of the present Conference Hall.

Beginning in 1835 the architect Alphonse de Gisors added a new garden wing parallel to the old corps de logis, replicating the look of the original 17th-century facade so precisely that it is difficult to distinguish at first glance the old from the new. The new senate chamber was located in what would have been the courtyard area in-between.

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During the German occupation of Paris (1940–1944), Hermann Göring took over the palace as the headquarters of the Luftwaffe in France, taking for himself a sumptuous suite of rooms to accommodate his visits to the French capital. Since 1958 the Luxembourg palace has been the seat of the French Senate of the Fifth Republic.

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