Palermo - La Martorana

The exterior of La Martorana in Palermo, with its blind arcades of ogee arches, suggests an Arabic influence, and even the bell-tower - replaced after earthquake damage in 1728 - has a certain Arabo-Norman character.

However, the basic architectural concept is Byzantine - the building was designed as a cruciform domed church, conforming to the style of building which had been dominant since mid-Byzantine times, with four arms of equal length, a dome supported on four columns above the central quadra, and a chancel with three apses. The arms of the transepts have barrel-vaulting and the lower, small corner-rooms have cross-hipped vaulting.

Unfortunately, the original building has undergone considerable changes. In 1200 a narthex, vestibule and bell-tower were added on the west side. In 1435 King Alfonso of Aragon gave the church to the Benedictine nuns from the nearby convent which had been founded in 1194 by Aloisa Martorana; since then the church has been known as La Martorana. In the 17th century the narthex and the open atrium were included in the main structure, making it irregular in shape.

Between 1683 and 1686 the central apse, together with its mosaics, was pulled down and replaced by a larger rectangular room. The nuns also had frescoes painted on the walls.

The most valuable part of La Martorana in Palermo has been preserved, the circle of mosaics on a gold ground, the oldest of its kind in Sicily (c. 1150). Originally the whole of the walls and vaulting above a 4m/13ft high base inlaid with porphyry and serpentine encrustations was decorated with this mosaic. The main feature of the pattern is Christ the Pantokrator (Almighty Ruler) in the center with the Greek inscription "I am the light of the world".

He is surrounded by four angels, their hands wrapped in cloths. At the Byzantine imperial court this was a sign of reverence and homage. Below them was discovered an inscription which experts recognized as an Arabic translation of a Byzantine hymn - characteristic of the polyglot culture of the period.

Up in the drum of the dome can be seen prophets with the Apostles in the four corners. The Triumphal Arch portrays the Annunciation, while in the side apses can be seen Mary's parents, Jehoiachin (left) and Anna (right); the lost mosaic in the central apse probably showed Mary at prayer. There are two more themes involving Mary, which is hardly surprising in a church dedicated to her: the Birth of Christ and the Death of Mary are depicted in the barrel vaulting which adjoins the central quadra to the west. Christ stands near the death-bed, with the souls of the departed in the form of a small child in His hands. The other surfaces are covered with prophets, apostles and saints.

Special mention must also be made of two further mosaic pictures in the anteroom of the narthex (originally the west wall): to the right is a picture of the founder and patron of the church, George of Antioquia, and on the left can be seen Christ crowning King Roger II - a form of painting which had previously been reserved for the Emperors of Byzantium and which demonstrates the nature of the demands made by the Norman kings against Byzantium and against the Pope.