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1185
It was built in 1185 on the site of a church that had become a mosque
The church was built in 1185 by Walter Ophamil, the Norman archbishop of Palermo and the minister of King William II. It stands on the area of an earlier Byzantine basilica, which was turned into a mosque by the Arabs after they conquered the city in the 9th century. Ophamil is buried in a sarcophagus in the crypt.
Many styles
Centuries of additions gave it several styles at once
The cathedral shows different styles because of a long history of additions, alterations and restorations. The upper parts of the corner towers date from the 14th and 15th centuries, and the southern porch was added in the early Renaissance. Its present neoclassical appearance comes from work done between 1781 and 1801 by Ferdinando Fuga and Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, including the great dome.
Royal tombs
Emperors and kings of Sicily lie in the first two chapels
In the first two chapels of the right aisle are the tombs of emperors and royal figures, moved here in the 18th century. They hold the remains of Emperor Henry VI, his son Frederick II, and Peter II of Sicily. A Roman sarcophagus is the tomb of Constance of Aragon, Frederick's wife. Under mosaic baldachins are the tombs of Roger II, the first King of Sicily, and his daughter Constance.
Saint Rosalia
The chapel of the patron saint of Palermo has a silver urn
To the right of the presbytery is the chapel of Saint Rosalia, the patron of Palermo, closed by a richly ornamental bronze gate. It holds relics and a 17th-century silver urn, which is an object of particular devotion. The Cathedral Treasury holds the famous Crown of Constance of Sicily.
The crypt
The crypt holds tombs from Roman, Byzantine and Norman times
The crypt, reached from the left side, is an evocative room with a cross vault supported by granite columns. It houses tombs and sarcophagi of Roman, Byzantine and Norman ages. People buried here include Walter Ophamil, the church's founder, and Giovanni Paternò, the patron of the sculptor Antonello Gagini.
Day 1, midday
It comes after Ballarò Market. Then Palatine Chapel.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Palermo Cathedral, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.