Palermo - Norman Palace Palazzo dei Normanni (Palazzo Reale)

The Appartamenti Reali are on the second floor of the Norman Palace. Here lie the Sala di Ruggiero (Roger's Hall), completely covered with mosaics symmetrically depicting hunting and animal scenes, as well as the Sala di Ercole (Hall of Hercules), where the Sicilian Parliament now sits, just as the Barons' Parliament did in the Middle Ages.

On entering the Palazzo complex the visitor will first enter a square courtyard surrounded by three-storyed arcades of rounded arches; it was constructed in 1600 by the viceroy Maqueda, and named Cortile Maqueda after him. The flight of steps leads to the very core of the palace, the Cappella Palatina on the first floor and the Appartamenti Reali (Royal Apartments) on the second.

The south side of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo is the only way in for the public. On entering the visitor will find himself in a columned hall with early 19th century mosaics replacing the older ones; they portray the Story of David, together with a crowned man (the symbol of Palermo) with decorative plaques showing the king and queen of the time, Ferdinand of Bourbon and Maria Carolina.

Anyone entering the church will immediately feel fascinated by the mystical semi-darkness in this triple-aisled columned basilica, pierced only by a shimmer of gold. The wooden ceiling of the central aisle is decorated in the Arabic style, with stalactites painted with numerous small scenes.

At the western end, to the left of the entrance, will be found one example of the reverence with which the Normans regarded royalty, the raised marble platform for the royal throne.

From here there is a view through the slender nave to another example: the raised chancel with its three apses and the cupola spanning the center. In front of this, to the right, stands a paschal candelabra 4.50m/15ft tall; its rich relief decorations portray motifs of flowers and figures, the center of the five showing Christ with King Roger II kneeling before him. Behind stands the pulpit supported by carved pillars with Corinthian capitals and decorated with inlay work. The lecterns exhibit carvings of a lion and a snake, the symbols of the Apostles Mark and John.

The mosaics covering all the internal walls of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo are particularly impressive. Those in the nave contain Latin inscriptions and display themes from the Old Testament (central aisle) and New Testament (side aisles). The story begins on the south wall of the central aisle and continues in a clockwise direction, thus: South wall, top row (from left to right): The Story of the Creation up to the Birth of Eve, North wall, top row: The Fall of Man to the Building of Noah's Ark, South wall, bottom row: The Dove and the Arc to the story of Abraham and the Three Angels, North side, bottom row: Lot and the People of Sodom to Jacob's Struggle with the Angel.

In the right side-aisle are scenes showing Paul and Peter, and in the left aisle similar ones of Peter.

While the mosaics in the nave tell a continuing story, those in the dome of the sanctuary center on Christ Himself; he is shown as the focal point of the religious world, the Pantokrator (Almighty Ruler), surrounded by a Greek inscription describing Heaven as His footstool. Below Him can be seen angels and archangels, prophets and kings of old Israel, with the Apostles in the four corner niches - all in accordance with Byzantine custom and that of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Deviating from this custom, Christ appears a second time in the hemispherical dome of the main apse, with the Virgin Mary below. These mosaics are 18th century - the difference in style and quality between these and those of the 12th century is striking indeed!

Also in the chancel will be found New Testament themes such as the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, the Flight to Egypt, the Baptism, the Transfiguration, the Ascension and Pentecost (the Crucifixion is missing).

The church treasures and archives, including many Greek, Arabic and Latin documents, are housed in the Sacristy of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo.

On the northeast front of the Norman Palace in Palermo one prominent Norman structure remains; this is the high Torre Pisana with its neat square stone blocks and blind arcades of ogival arches. The treasury was once housed on its ground floor. It is the last remaining of the original four towers; inside is a typical square hall 15m/50ft high. In 1791 the viceroy Caramanico allowed Giuseppe Piazzi to build an observatory on the top floor, and its dome is to be seen above the Norman building.