La Cappella Palatina di Palermo è una delle attrazioni più importanti della città e un capolavoro dell’arte normanna. La cappella si trova all’interno del Palazzo dei Normanni, anche conosciuto come Palazzo Reale, e fu costruita nel XII secolo per volere di Ruggero II, il primo re di Sicilia.
La cappella è un esempio eccezionale di fusione di diversi stili architettonici e artistici, combinando elementi normanni, bizantini e islamici. Questa sintesi è visibile nelle strutture architettoniche, nei mosaici dorati e nelle decorazioni. Essa è anche un simbolo della multiculturalità del Regno di Sicilia sotto i Normanni, dove convivevano e si influenzavano reciprocamente culture e religioni diverse: cristiana, musulmana e bizantina.
La chiesa, fondata nel 1130, è dedicata a San Pietro Apostolo, ha una pianta a croce latina con transetto non sporgente, divisa in tre navate separate da cinque colonne per lato con capitelli per gran parte di recupero. Le cinque arcate, a sesto leggermente acuto di ispirazione moresca si elevano su alti piedritti.
Elemento generatore dell’intero edificio è la cupola emisferica di tradizione bizantina, innestata su un ottagono impostato su un quadrangolo ad indicare che la chiesa è congiunzione fra cielo e terra al centro della cupola. Il busto del Cristo Pantocratore (Governatore dell’Universo) circondato da quattro Arcangeli (Raffaele, Michele, Gabriele, Uriele) e da quattro angeli al disotto dei quali sono otto profeti e, nelle nicchie angolari i quattro evangelisti. La decorazione parietale a mosaico è d’impronta bizantina.
La navata centrale narra le storie di genesi dalla creazione fino alla lotta di Giacobbe con l’angelo e alla costituzione del popolo di Israele.
Nel presbiterio sono le scene del ciclo delle dodici feste di Gesù mentre nelle navate laterali, storie degli apostoli Pietro e Paolo.
Nelle arcate, nei piedritti e in altri spazi, figure di santi, alcuni dei quali entro tondi a mezzo busto. L’elemento che rende unica la Cappella Palatina è il soffitto ligneo a muqarnas (successione di nicchie geometriche, stalattiti, campi a stella) della navata centrale, realizzato in legno e dipinto con figure di animali, piante, motivi geometrici e floreali, un tempo dorato. Costituisce il più vasto complesso di pittura islamica di età medievale che si sia conservato e contemporaneamente rappresentazione del cielo stellato, del paradiso islamico, raffigurato come corte del principe e alveo della terra come grotta, segno della nascita (secondo la tradizione cristiana Gesù nasce in una grotta) e segno della resurrezione (il sepolcro di Gesù era scavato nella roccia).
La Cappella Palatina è oggi patrimonio dell’umanità dell’UNESCO. Questo riconoscimento sottolinea l’importanza culturale e storica della cappella e del contesto in cui è inserita.
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Translation to English – Palatine Chapel – Palermo
The church, founded in 1130 by King Roger II and dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, has a Latin cross plan with a non-protruding transept. It is divided into three naves separated by five columns on each side, with mostly reused capitals. The five arches, with a slightly pointed Moorish inspiration, rise on high piers.
The generating element of the entire building is the hemispherical dome of Byzantine tradition, set on an octagon based on a quadrangle, indicating that the church is a connection between heaven and earth. At the center of the dome is the bust of Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of the Universe), surrounded by four Archangels (Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel) and four angels, below which are eight prophets, and in the corner niches, the four evangelists.
The wall decoration in mosaic is of Byzantine imprint. The central nave narrates the stories of Genesis from creation to Jacob’s struggle with the angel and the establishment of the people of Israel. In the presbytery are scenes from the cycle of the twelve feasts of Jesus, while in the side naves, there are stories of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the arches, piers, and other spaces, there are figures of saints, some of which are in roundels in half-bust form.
The element that makes the Palatine Chapel unique is the wooden muqarnas ceiling (a succession of geometric niches, stalactites, star-shaped fields) of the central nave, made of wood and painted with figures of animals, plants, geometric and floral motifs, once gilded. It constitutes the largest complex of Islamic painting from the medieval age that has been preserved and simultaneously represents the starry sky, the Islamic paradise, depicted as the prince’s court, and the earth’s basin as a cave, a sign of birth (according to Christian tradition, Jesus was born in a cave) and a sign of resurrection (Jesus’ tomb was carved into the rock).
The Palatine Chapel of Palermo is one of the most important attractions in the city and a masterpiece of Norman art. The chapel is located within the Norman Palace, also known as the Royal Palace, and was built in the 12th century at the behest of Roger II, the first king of Sicily.
The chapel is an exceptional example of the fusion of different architectural and artistic styles, combining Norman, Byzantine, and Islamic elements. This synthesis is visible in the architectural structures, golden mosaics, and decorations. It is also a symbol of the multiculturalism of the Kingdom of Sicily under the Normans, where diverse cultures and religions—Christian, Muslim, and Byzantine—coexisted and influenced each other.
The church, founded in 1130, is dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle. It has a Latin cross plan with a non-protruding transept, divided into three naves separated by five columns on each side with mostly reused capitals. The five arches, with a slightly pointed Moorish inspiration, rise on high piers.
The generating element of the entire building is the hemispherical dome of Byzantine tradition, set on an octagon based on a quadrangle, indicating that the church is a connection between heaven and earth. At the center of the dome is the bust of Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of the Universe), surrounded by four Archangels (Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel) and four angels, below which are eight prophets, and in the corner niches, the four evangelists. The wall decoration in mosaic is of Byzantine imprint.
The central nave narrates the stories of Genesis from creation to Jacob’s struggle with the angel and the establishment of the people of Israel. In the presbytery are scenes from the cycle of the twelve feasts of Jesus, while in the side naves, there are stories of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the arches, piers, and other spaces, there are figures of saints, some of which are in roundels in half-bust form. The element that makes the Palatine Chapel unique is the wooden muqarnas ceiling (a succession of geometric niches, stalactites, star-shaped fields) of the central nave, made of wood and painted with figures of animals, plants, geometric and floral motifs, once gilded. It constitutes the largest complex of Islamic painting from the medieval age that has been preserved and simultaneously represents the starry sky, the Islamic paradise, depicted as the prince’s court, and the earth’s basin as a cave, a sign of birth (according to Christian tradition, Jesus was born in a cave) and a sign of resurrection (Jesus’ tomb was carved into the rock).
The Palatine Chapel is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. This recognition underscores the cultural and historical importance of the chapel and the context in which it is set.
Below are our shots that tell of its beauties.