Cefalù - Cathedral

The main point of interest in a visit to Cefalù is naturally the cathedral, which is one of the most interesting medieval buildings in Sicily. According to the legend, King Roger II was in distress at sea and vowed that, if he was saved, he would build a church on the nearby shore. This legend was "probably the result of a desire to link the foundation of this house of God with a supernatural event, in order to enhance its religious prestige" (G. Cassata). What is certain is that the building was "a token of thanksgiving for the successful and complete colonization of Moslem Sicily by the Norman conquerors" (Cassata). The political motivation must also be borne in mind: immediately after his coronation Roger II promoted the bishoprics of Palermo and Messina to archbishoprics and created the new dioceses of Lipari, Patti and Cefalù. The cathedral at Cefalù was also intended to be the burial-place for the Norman dynasty in Sicily. This did not happen because the building was still incomplete at Roger's death in 1154, so that the King was buried in Palermo. The two porphyry sarcophagi which he had installed in Cefalù for himself and his queen, were later transferred to the cathedral in Palermo at the order of Emperor Frederick II.

Progress in completing the cathedral was very dilatory (the consecration did not take place until 1267), with the result that the newer parts of the building, such as the nave, departed considerably from the monumental proportions of the original plans. Nevertheless, Cefalù fulfills the double intention of "representing royal authority and at the same time reflecting in a totality the various elements of the kingdom's history - Norman, Latin, Greek and also Arab" (Cassata). The cathedral is a three-aisled columned basilica with a vast transept and choir.