The bell tower of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, affectionately known as “La Martorana,” rises above Palermo’s Piazza Bellini. Over the centuries this beloved church has been architecturally modified many times; however in-keeping with its native charm. It was commissioned in the 1140s by Admiral George of Antioch and originally built in the renowned Arab-Norman style. This…
Tag: arabo-normanna
San Cataldo: Keeping it Simple
Palermo’s San Cataldo church in Piazza Bellini possesses three remarkable red domes on the outside, yet on the inside, those domes illuminate an elegant, simply designed stone chapel. In contrast to its sister church La Martorana, San Cataldo, which was built around 1160, has never possessed mosaics or other such decoration.
Coexisting Styles
The bell tower of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, affectionately known as “La Martorana,” rises above Palermo’s Piazza Bellini. Over the centuries this beloved church has been architecturally modified many times; however in-keeping with its native charm. It was commissioned in the 1140s by Admiral George of Antioch and originally built in the renowned Arab-Norman style. This…
Elegant Monument
The Cathedral of Cefalù was commissioned in 1131 by Sicilian King Roger II in homage to the Holy Savior, also known as Santissimo Salvatore, after the king found refuge from a storm on the shores of the town. The Duomo was built over subsequent years and centuries. Inside, its Byzantine-style mosaic of Christ Pantocrator is…
Doing the Laundry in Cefalù
A brilliant use of an underground fresh-water river, this site in Cefalù during Arab-Norman times, was used by locals to wash their laundry. Behind you (if you were standing at the site in the picture), the river flows into the sea.